An Unpredictable Journey
by MewIchigoZoey
Summary: After learning of an evil wolf pack's plan to attack Kenai's old village, Kenai and Kia must return to Kenai's village and warn the people of there. But..how can they? I mean, They're only bears..right? KenaixKia...Old story xD;
1. A Visit From The Spirits

Greetings, my fan fic readers! Before you begin reading this, I just wanted to give ya' a warning. If you read this fan fic, you are certain to be shocked...yet pleasantly surprised by many events that take place in this fan fic. Also, watch out for much Kenai/Kia romance, lol! I hope this title is alright...Okay, that's all. Thank you for taking the time to listen! I hope you all enjoy this fan fic!

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It was early evening, and the sun was setting as all the bears at the Salmon Run were headed to their caves, to get some sleep. It had been a long, hard day, and they all needed their rest. The many grizzlies lay down in their caves, and were soon fast asleep. Well...almost all of them...

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Kenai?" Kia gushed.

Kenai nodded, and he turned his gaze from the setting sun to the white and brown sow. "Yeah, it sure is." he replied, smiling warmly at her.

Kia let out a happy sigh and leaned back against Kenai's furry chest. This had been the perfect day, she thought as Kenai wrapped his paws around her. She sighed happily and cuddled against Kenai even more. As Kia thought over the day's events, she could not stop a wide smile from spreading across her muzzle.

Kia and Kenai had gone fishing, earlier that day. Once they had caught a ton of salmon, the two grizzlies had eaten lunch together, in the shade of a tall tree. Afterwards, Kenai had taken her to the very top of a big waterfall. From there, Kia and Kenai had been able to see for miles!

When she and Kenai had arrived back, Koda had attacked them, so the three grizzly bears had rolled around on the ground for hours, wrestling and laughing. Now the two teenage bears were so tired, they were content just to watch the sunset together.

Kenai nudged Kia gently with his nose then, and doing so, he snapped the sow out of her daydreaming.

"Hey Kia," he said, "It's starting to get late. We'd better find Koda and put him to bed."

Kia looked disappointed, but she still nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right.." she paused. "Aww man...I don't want this night to end.." she murmured as she nuzzled Kenai's soft brown fur.

Kenai rubbed his nose against hers lovingly. "I know exactly how you feel...I could stay this way forever, but-"

Kia smiled and nuzzled Kenai under the chin, cutting him off. "But duty calls. I know.." she finished for him softly.

Kenai laughed, nodding as they got up. "And unfortunately, we have to answer it." he said.

Kia giggled at his remark as they searched for the lovable --yet talkative-- brown bear cub. Kia's ears pricked up as she heard a rustling in the bushes. She looked at Kenai.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Kenai nodded. "Yeah.." he whispered back, "Do you think it's Koda?"

Kia nodded, rolling her eyes. "Uh huh. He's most likely trying to scare us...Why does he do that?"

Kenai shrugged. "I don't know.." he replied as Kia peered into the bushes. "Is it him?" he asked her.

Kia turned away from the bush and faced the brown bear. "Huh uh. There was nobody there." she said, looking confused. Kenai glanced behind her and his eyes widened.

"Kia, watch your back!" He warned, waving his paws in the air and pointing behind her.

Kia turned to see what the male grizzly was pointing at, but at that moment, a brown blur smacked into her. Knocked off balance, and completely caught off guard, the sow stumbled backward and fell into the river with a loud splash.

The white bear came up to surface quickly, gasping for air, and looked around, trying to find what had..or..who had...just forced her into the river. "What the-" she sputtered.

"Gotcha!" Koda burst out gleefully, laughing.

So it _was _him who had pushed her in! Kia rolled her eyes, looking very annoyed.

"Koda, why do you get such a kick out of playing pranks on Kenai and I?" She asked.

The cub just giggled. "I don't know..I guess I can't resist, 'cause you're so easy to scare!"

Kia uttered a low growl under her breath as she walked out of the river.

Kenai smiled sheepishly at her. "I-I-I..tried to warn you.." he mumbled.

Kia turned to him and the expression on her face softened. "I know you did, Kenai. Thank you for trying anyway."

Kenai chuckled, and stared at the white and brown sow. She was dripping wet. "Hey Kia," he said slowly, "I'll go put Koda to bed, and you can stay here and get dried off while you wait for me, okay?"

Before Kia could answer, Koda whined loudly. "Aww! Bedtime? Not right now!" he complained.

Kenai rolled his eyes at the cub's complaint, and he nodded his head. "Yes, now." he answered, looking a bit impatient.

Koda groaned. "Aww..." Kenai turned back to Kia. "So, is that okay?" "Yeah, you go ahead while I dry off. Then I'll come find you afterwards." Kia answered quickly.

Kenai shook his head at her answer. "No, no..I'll come back for you once Koda's safely in bed. Just wait here." he instructed.

Kia shrugged, looking a little confused. "Oh...Okay then...I guess.."

Kenai smacked his forehead lightly, then he walked over to Kia. "Kia, listen to me. I'm going to put the kid to bed, and then we can go back to watching the sky...our romantic night won't have to end _afterall, _as long as you stay and wait here." he whispered in the sow's light brown ear.

Kia's expression lit up at this. "Oh! Okay, I gotcha now!" she said, finally catching on to the plan.

Koda glanced at the two teenage bears. "Hey, are you two tellin' secrets? Can I hear?" he begged.

Kenai winked at Kia and she stiffled a giggle. "Okay, Koda. Time for bed." said the male brown bear, as he picked the brown bear cub up by his mane and started to walk off.

Koda struggled to free himself of his brother's grip. "But Kenai! I wanna tell secrets too!" he cried. "I know this really good one that Bucky told me once!" The bear cub's voice faded as he and Kenai disappeared, headed to their cave.

Kia shook her head, laughing at Koda. "That Koda!" she murmured. The white and brown grizzly shook her fur dry, then she sat down on the soft, green grass to await Kenai's return.

As she waited, Kia hummed a tune to herself, breaking the silence around her. It was one of the many songs that her mother had sung to her when she was just a newborn cub. Kia best remembered this particular song, because it was a happy, cheerful tune that always calmed her.

Kia glanced up, then at the sky. She could have sworn that she saw the Northern lights, directly above her!

Surprised, the white grizzly rubbed her eyes, wondering to herself if she had become so tired that she was seeing things. However, when Kia looked again, the lights were still there.

The sow cried out in shock as an eagle swooped down from the lights, and landed beside her.

"Kia." It said telepathically. Then its shape started to change.

Kia watched in surprise as the eagle spirit morphed into the form of Sitka, Kenai's older brother!

She let out a small whimper. "What are you going to do to me! I-I haven't done anything bad, I swear it!" She cried.

It was obvious by Kia's tone (and the expression on her face) that she was remembering what Sitka had done to Kenai when he had killed Koda's mother.

Sitka placed a hand on her muzzle gently, to stop the sow's trembling.

"Not to worry, Kia. You are right. You _haven't _done anything wrong. But there is something that I _need_ you to do...You and Kenai, actually.."


	2. Sitka's Message

Okay, before I continue with this fan fic, I just wanted to say thank you to Simic, for being my first reviewer! Thank you for such a positive review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well:)**

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**Chapter 2: Sitka's Message**

Kia stared at Sitka, her jaw dropped in shock. "Kenai? Me? Wh-what can _we_ possibly do!" she asked.

Sitka pushed her jaw back up, before speaking. "We have recently learned of a wolf pack's plan to attack the village where Kenai used to live...The pack is evil, and is planning to kill everyone."

Kia gasped. "That's terrible!" She said, then she paused for a minute. "...But...what can Kenai and I do?"

"We need someone to warn the villagers of the attack...so they have time to prepare for battle.." Was the Spirit's reply.

Kia sighed sadly. "It really has to be that way, huh?" Sitka gave a little nod, and the white sow fell into a long silence.

"...How are Kenai and I supposed to help?" she asked finally, breaking the silence around them. "We're only bears..." she added helplessly.

Sitka smiled at her. "As long as you accept this task, there will be a way for you to help." He paused for a few minutes, letting Kia think it over. "...Do you accept this task, Kia?"

Kia thought about this. If she said yes and went through with this, it was bound to be dangerous, seeing how they were dealing with a whole wolf pack. What if she and Kenai ran into them along the way? What would happen then.

Then, on the other paw, all the lives of the people in the village were at stake. They had no way of knowing what was planned for them. There was no way they'd be able to fight off a surprise attack!

Kia turned to Sitka. "Okay..I've decided. I will accept this dangerous job, and I'm pretty sure Kenai will too, once I explain it to him." She said quickly.

Sitka nodded his head. "Thank you very much, Kia. I think I see what Kenai sees in you. You're a very bright sow, and there are promising things to he who calls you his wife..._or_ girlfriend..."

He paused as he noticed Kia's face turning a deep red. She was obviously feeling embarrassed by what he'd just said.

Sitka cleared his throat. "Uh yes...Very well..Now, about your job...You and Kenai can come to the top of the mountain when you two are ready to begin this quest. Until then, goodbye."

Sitka reverted back to eagle form, and flew back into the stream of rainbow colored Spirits. Then, as always, the Spirits vanished, without a trace.

Kia dropped down onto the grass, overwhelmed by all that had just happened. Just then, she saw Kenai running towards her.

"Hey Kia, I'm back!" he said softly, pulling her into a big hug.

Kia returned the hug, then pulled away a little, and stared at the brown grizzly. "Kenai, I-"

Kenai rubbed his nose against hers, vutting the white-brown sow off. "I know. I missed you too." he said softly.

Kia shook her head. "No! I-I mean yes, I did miss you..but there's something I have to tell-"

She was once again cut off as Kenai squeezed her in another big bear hug. Kia quickly broke the hug and backed a few feet away.

Kenai stared at the white and brown sow, a puzzled frown on his face. "Kia what's gotten into you? Why are you so jumpy!" he asked.

Kia groaned. "There's just something I need to tell you, but you won't listen!" she cried, looking very frusterated.

"I'm listening now." Kenai said, looking at the sow expectantly. "Now spill. Tell me what's going on."

So Kia _did_. She told him about Sitka, the wolves, and their mission. When she had finished, Kenai roared with laughter.

Kia glared at the boar. "What's so funny!" she demanded.

"Nothing," Kenai said, calming down for a minute, "That's just quite a story you've got!" With that, Kenai burst into another fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Kia groaned. "Kenai, I didn't make this up." she insisted.

Kenai stopped laughing then, and he looked at the white and brown grizzly, a concerned expression on his face.

"Kia, you didn't hit your head when Koda pushed you into the river, did you?" he asked suddenly.

The male brown bear started pawing around on her head, searching for any injuries.

Kia actually _had _hit her head when she fell, but that wasn't the point. The sow rolled her eyes and pushed Kenai's paws away.

"Kenai, I'm fine. I didn't imagine what happened either." she insisted again. "It really did happen. You'll see. Tomorrow, come to the top of the mountain with me, and you'll see that I'm telling the truth!" she begged.

Kenai heaved a sigh. "Alright, okay, fine. I'll go..if it really means that much to you."

Kia's face lit up at his words, and she wrapped her furry brown paws around Kenai's neck, squeezing him in a big bear hug. "Oh thank you, Kenai! I promise, you won't be disappointed!"

Kenai smirked at Kia. "I had better not be!" he teased, and he nuzzled her affectionately.

Kia licked his muzzle. She felt so relieved that Kenai had finally agreed to go to the mountain with her.

The two bears remained in their hug, nuzzling until Kia yawned loudly.

Kenai looked at her. "Woah, we'd better get you to bed, sleepy sow!"

Kia allowed Kenai to lift her onto his back, and carry her back to the cave. She really was tired, but in spite of this, all she could think about was how soon she would prove to Kenai that she was right, and the Spirits _did _need their help.

Kenai arrived back to the cave then, and Kia climbed off his back sleepily. The male brown bear lay down next to Koda. Then Kia came and lay down beside him, yawning again.

_'I hope tomorrow comes quickly..'_ she thought drowsily, as her eyes closed and she drifted into a deep sleep.


	3. The Quest Begins

Okay, I'm back with another update! Thank you again, to Simic for another great review! This update's for you, since you love this fic so much!

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**Chapter 3: The Quest Begins**

Kia awoke to the sound of rain. Groaning, she got to her feet and walked outside of the cave.

To her dismay, a light rain was falling. She moaned and slapped her paw lightly against the cave wall.

Kia sure hoped the rain would stop soon, or she and Kenai would have one heck of a time climbing the mountain today!

The sow turned, hearing a yawn behind her, and saw Koda standing at her side. The cub yawned again.

"Mornin', Kia.." he said sleepily, as he sat down on the grass and rubbed his eyes with a paw.

Kia smiled down at the brown bear cub. "Good morning, Koda." she replied.

Then Kia realized; Koda was going to be all alone when she and Kenai left on their mission! Kia frantically tried to think of where Koda could stay while they were gone. Or, who with, the grizzly thought, as an idea flashed into her mind.

The white bear glanced down at Koda. "Hey, Koda. Do you think your friend Bucky's parents would let you stay with them for a few days?" she asked hopefully.

Koda nodded his head. "Yeah, I always stay over there!" He glanced up at Kia curiously.

"Why do you want me to stay there, Kia? Are you and Kenai going somewhere?"

Kia gave a slight nod. "We would take you," she began, "Only, it's way too dangerous."

Koda had forgotten all about being sleepy now! He stood up on his hind legs and waved his forepaws in the air, high over his head.

"Kia, I can handle it!" he protested, "I mean, you and I both know that I fight like a-"

"Raging ball of brown fur." Kia finished for the bear cub.

"I know, but listen to me, Koda. During the journey there are probably going to be very dangerous creatures; Creatures who won't give a bear cub like you the chance to fight. They'll just kill you!"

Koda's ears flopped backward. "Ohhhh..really?" he gulped.

"Then uh, I think you're right. It _is _better if I stay here. The bears here might get attacked by somethin' else if I'm not here to protect them!" he said, puffing out his chest bravely.

Kia giggled at the brown cub. "Yeah, they need you here." She agreed.

Koda frowned then. "...If I do stay here, then..who'll protect you and Kenai?" he asked.

Kia laughed. "Don't worry about us, Koda! We're big bears! We'll watch out for each other! You just stay here and have fun with Bucky-err..I mean, protect the bears here."

Koda nodded in agreement after a moment.

"Okay, I guess you are right. I mean, my brother would never let any harm come to you, and I know you feel the exact same about him, right Kia?"

Before Kia could answer, two large, furry brown paws grabbed her from behind, surprising her. She jumped, then, and laughter rang out from behind her.

"Good morning, Kia!" said Kenai, who was still laughing at how he'd startled the sow.

Kia growled mischievously at him. "Good morning to you too." She said, faking a laugh. Then she licked his face and hugged him.

"Hey, I should scare you in the mornings more often!" Kenai joked.

"I wasn't scared." Kia insisted.

Kenai just looked at her, as if to say "Riiiight.."

Kia decided to change the subject. "So Kenai, you ready for today?" she asked.

Kenai stared blankly at her. "Ready for what?" he asked. "What's today?"

Kia shoved the boar playfully. "Remember? The mountain! You promised we'd go!"

Kenai did a double take, and nodded his head quickly. "Oh! Yeah! I remember now!"

Kia smiled. "Good. While we're gone, Koda is going to stay with Bucky and his family."

Kenai nodded his head. "Okay."

Just then, a drop of rain hit him in the nose. The brown bear flinched, and looked up at the sky, obviously noticing that it was raining for the first time that morning.

He turned and frowned at Kia. "Kia, are you sure it's smart to try climbing that mountain in this weather?" he asked, looking very unsure.

Kia felt unsure herself, but she was not about to let Kenai out of his promise!

"I know we can do it, Kenai!" she said quickly. "Besides, you promised!" she reminded him.

Kenai groaned and muttered something under his breath. "Fine. When do you want to go?" he asked finally.

Kia grinned happily. "Let's go now! I know that it's breakfast time, but I'm not the least bit hungry!" she exclaimed.

Kenai shrugged. "Uhh...okay then.." He turned to his little brother.

"We'll be back, Koda. I don't know _exactly _when...But we _will_ be back. In the meantime, be good for Bucky's parents, and try to stay out of trouble."

Koda nodded, chuckling. "Okay, I'll be good, don't you worry!" he said, and scampered off to find Bucky.

Kia glanced at Kenai then. "Now that he left, shall we go?"

Kenai looked at her and nodded his head in agreement.

The two bears left for the mountain. It was a long walk, but at last, about an hour later, Kenai and Kia arrived at the mountain.

Kia glanced up. It sure was going to be a long, hard climb up. It would be worth it, she thought, to see Kenai's face when he realized that she had been telling the truth last night.

Kenai motioned for her to start climbing first. When Kia asked him why, Kenai just smiled at her.

"That way, if you fall I'll be able to catch you." Was his reply.

Kia smiled at the boar, and started to climb. She only slowed down enough to avoid slipping on the wet ledges. Other then that, Kia climbed as quickly as possible.

She slipped once, and for that second, Kia honestly felt she was going to fall to her death below, but Kenai helped her regain her balance with one of his paws.

After that incident had passed, the two teenage grizzlies made it to the top of the mountain quite easily.

Kenai glanced at Kia once they were at the top. "Now what do we do?" he asked.

Kia motioned for the male grizzly to sit, then had a seat herself. "We wait." Was her response.

Their wait was not long, for only 5 minutes later, the rainbow lights, or Great Spirits appeared at the mountain, and the spirit of Sitka approached them. He looked at Kenai.

"Hello, little brother..I believe that your friend Kia has already told you why you're here." he said.

Kenai's eyes were wide with shock. "You-you mean, i-it's real? It's all true! Everything she said is true!" The male grizzly sputtered.

Sitka nodded. "Of course. Now do you accept this job?" he asked.

Kia grinned at Kenai. "I did." she whispered in the boar's ear.

Kenai frowned, thinking about his decision, just as Kia had. He still could not believe that everything Kia had told him was true!

He looked at the white and brown sow. "Wow, I'm really sorry I didn't believe you, Kia." he said, flashing her one of his apologetic, toothy smiles.

Then the bear turned to his brother. "Alright, big brother. I'll accept too."

Kia grinned at Kenai, then returned her gaze to Sitka. "So, how can we help? You said last night that you had a solution."

Sitka nodded at this quickly. "I do," he began, "Thank you for bringing that up. Come over this way, please."

Sitka reverted back into an eagle as he finished speaking.

Kia let out a small cry of surprise as Sitka lifted her and Kenai, one in each talon, and started to fly way up into the sky.

Kenai looked quite surprised as well, but when he saw Kia's fearful expression, he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Don't worry, Kia. We can trust Sitka." He said softly.

Kia smiled at him and nodded, but she still felt quite unsure.

All of a sudden, Sitka spun the two bears at a rapidly increasing speed.

As they were twirled around, a bright light flashed, and something changed about both Kenai and Kia's appearances. Finally, they stopped spinning.

Slowly, the silhouettes of Kenai and Kia were lowered back down to the mountain. Sitka gently placed them onto the ground, then changed into a human for a minute.

"There. You will be able to warn the village now. Some minor changes had to be made. Rest assured that they are only temporary, and I will change you back to normal, once you have completed your mission. Good luck, you two."

Having said all he had planned to, Sitka morphed back into an eagle and disappeared with the rest of the Spirits.

Kia sat up and groaned. She felt..different. She just couldn't put her paw on why.

Wait, paw? Kia looked down at her paws...and almost screamed as she saw hands with long, skinny fingers instead.

She let out a shocked cry as she noticed that all her fur was gone, and had been replaced by a cream white coat and brown pants. On her feet were dark brown moccasins.

Kia placed her hands on her head in an effort to try to calm herself. To her surprise, her fingers ran through medium length, black hair.

As she examined herself further, Kia came to a frightening conclusion.

She raised her head to the sky and cried out loudly, her voice echoing off the mountain, no longer coming out as a roar. "Ahhhhhhhhh! I'm a human!"


	4. Learning To Act Like A Human

Heh, I want to apologize for taking so long to update this. I got a little lazy at first, and did not feel like typing the next chapter. But then, when I finally did manage to type it, this site was "experiencing too much traffic", and could not upload this chapter! I am _so _sorry to have kept you waiting this long, Simic (and anybody else who may be reading this)! **

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**Chapter 4: Learning To Act Like A Human**

Kenai sat up in a daze and rubbed his head. To his surprise, when he glanced down at his arms, he saw that instead of his soft, brown fur, his arms were covered in flesh!

Was he...human? Could it really be? Kenai peered at himself in a puddle the rain had created.

He inhaled a sharp breath as he saw his reflection. It was true! He was no longer a bear...he was human again!

Kenai jumped as he heard a shriek nearby.

"Oh..my..gosh..I'm a human! Ahhhhhhhhh!" Came the cry.

Kenai's eyes widened as he remembered Kia. Had ad she been changed into a human too? Kenai braced himself, and turned to look at Kia.

"Woah!" he exclaimed at what was before him.

Next to him was a young woman in white and brown clothing, with medium length black hair. She looked distressed as she examined herself. "Noooooooo! I'm human! Ahhhhhhhh!" she cried again.

Kenai hid a smile. Yep, it was definitely Kia, he thought. Kenai reached out and grabbed her hand gently.

The girl whirled around quickly, to see who had grabbed her hand.

"Kia?" Kenai said softly. "Kia, it's me, Kenai."

Kia's eyes widened. "Kenai, we're humans!" she cried, looking upset.

Kenai nodded. "I know that, Kia," Kenai began, gently patting the trembling bear-turned-girl's hand, "Listen. I think Sitka did this, so my village would be able to understand us when we warn them of the wolf attack. I faintly remember something my brother said..This is only a temporary change." Kenai finished, smiling at the girl.

Kia stopped trembling. "Okay, if you say so, Kenai.." She paused. "So, this is what you look like as a human!"

Kenai nodded. "Yeah."

Kia smiled. "Cool." She sighed and glanced at herself in a puddle.

"I guess now I know what I look like as a human..." she muttered, looking, for some reason, displeased with her appearance.

Kenai smirked at her. "Ah, don't be so hard on yourself! You don't look too bad. As a matter of fact, you look pretty good!" He said, winking, which made Kia blush.

He put his arm around the girl's shoulders. "Well, c'mon, Kia. We have a long journey ahead of us, if we plan to reach my village before that wolf pack does."

Kia nodded and pulled away from Kenai. "Ok, let's go." she agreed.

As they slipped and slid over the wet ledges on their way down the mountain, Kia had to admit, it was a little easier climbing as a human...But she still wanted to be a bear again.

Kenai was having an even easier time, because he'd been human before.

After much slipping and sliding, the arrived at the bottom of the mountain.

"C'mon, jump!" Kenai called to Kia, who was on the last ledge, which was quite high. So Kia did.

"Woah!" she squealed as she landed, into Kenai's outstretched arms. Kenai smiled down at her.

"It's okay. I've got you, Kia." he said. Kenai gently let the girl down onto the ground.

She looked around. "So, um...Which way is it to your village, Kenai?" she asked. "Remember, I've never been there." Kia added with a small laugh.

Kenai grinned and pointed in a direction. "It's that way." he said.

Kia smiled. "Alright the. Let's go!" She started to walk, wobbly, and fell not long after.

It became obvious, by her struggling, that Kia was more used to walking on four legs then two. Kia tried to get up, but fell in the progress.

Kenai laughed, and extended a hand down to her. Kia gratefully accepted it, and he helped her stand up. She groaned.

"I guess I'd better practice walking first!" she exclaimed.

Kenai hid a smile. "I think it's time I taught you how to act-and walk- like a human. So watch closely, and do what I do." he let go of her hand and started to walk away slowly. He turned his head and looked back to make sure Kia was watching. "You see..first you put one foot out. Then bring the other forward."

Kia smiled, though she still felt a little unsure. "Okay, let me try."

She wobbly lifted a foot and placed it in front of the other one. Then she kept doing this.

"Hey!- I'm doing it!" She said cheerfully, but just as she said this, she lost her balance and fell down.

Kenai laughed and helped her back up. "Try again." he said encouragingly.

Kia looked nervously at him. "I...I don't know...Are you sure? I'm not too good at this.."

Kenai gave her a gentle push. "You'll do fine. Don't give up." he said softly.

Kia stumbled forward. "Ohh...Woah...Ohhh!" She cried out as she took more wobbly steps forward.

A broad smile spread across Kenai's face. "That's it, Kia! You're doing great! Keep on going!" he cheered.

Kia spread her arms out at her sides, to help her balance as she continued. Her steps started out shaky and uncertain, but as she continued on, the girl started to take her steps more boldly.

Kenai clapped and cheered some more, as the bear-turned-woman turned and started back toward him. "Yeah! That's the way to do it, Kia!"

Kia grinned happily as he cheered her on. "I did it!"

Just as she said this, Kia tripped on the toe of one of her moccasins. Her arms flailed wildly, as she pitched forward.

Kenai quickly sprang forward, and caught Kia in his outstretched arms.

She groaned. "I was doing so well too!" she cried out in disgust.

Kenai chuckled. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Kia! You did great! You just need to remember to watch where you're going at all times."

"Well, thanks for breaking my fall." Kia muttered, pulling away from him.

Kenai gave her a quick hug, then let her go.

He smiled at Kia. "Well, I think you're okay to go, so let's get moving." he said, starting to walk in the direction that would take them to his village.

Kia hesitated for a minute, then started to walk behind Kenai, trying her best not to lose her balance.

Kenai reached out then, and grabbed her hand, bringing her to walk beside him.

Kia glanced up at him in surprise.

Kenai noticed her confused expression, and chuckled. "I want you near me, so I can help you if you start to fall again, Kia." he said, answering the question he had seen on her face.

Kia looked..surprised, but smiled anyway. "Okay." she said, as they walked together, hand in hand.

Awhile later, Kenai stopped walking and grabbed two long sticks. Then he gathered two jagged, sharp edged stones. Kenai sat down and sharpened the stones against each other for a few minutes.

Kia watched, curious as the boy fastened the sticks and stones together with grass.

"What are you making?" she asked, breaking the silence around them.

Kenai glanced at her, but made no reply. A moment later, he glanced up at her sheepishly.

"I'm making spears.." he said quietly, already knowing what her reaction would be.

Kia's face grew stormy looking. "Spears..! Kenai, I-"

Kenai looked grimly at the bear-turned-woman. "I'm sorry, Kia...but the forest is more dangerous, now that we're humans. We must be able to protect ourselves, and these spears are the only way we can."

He handed her one of the two spears. "Now, you _do_ know how a spear works, right?" He asked, even though the answer was pretty obvious.

Kia nodded slowly, as she watched a flashback of her cub hood.

It was of her mother. Just then the hunter stabbed her in the side with his spear. The mother bear seemed to fall in slow motion, and her pain filled roar never seemed like it would stop.

When, at last, the flashback did come to an end, Kia was shaking violently. She inhaled a deep breath, as she imagined the stab of the spear, over and over again. She gasped loudly, and thrust her spear to the ground.

Kia heaved a shaky, frightened sigh, and sank down onto the ground, still breathing hard.

Kenai raced to her side and helped the trembling girl to her feet.

Kia let out a choked cry and buried her face in Kenai's coat, her body shaking violently. Kenai did the best he could to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Kia..Everything's going to be alright. You'll see.." He murmured, gently stroking his hand through the girl's hair.

After a few more minutes of Kenai's consoling, Kia glanced up at him.

"Kenai...Why do people hate us? Why do they despise us bears?" she asked sadly.

Kenai thought about this before answering. "They don't hate us..They fear us..Sometimes when you fear something, it makes you angry, and causes you not to like it."

He paused. "Everyone is afraid of anything they find different then them." he added.

Kia sighed. "That does make sense." she admitted.

"It's just too bad that humans don't realize how similar we are to them. We may act differently, but we all have feelings. We have families...hopes...dreams...goals...We're practically the same, except for our appearances and lifestyles."

Kenai smiled at her. "That's true. I mean think about it. I was born human, you were born bear. Yet we are still the same.."

He held Kia's hand in his, giving it a squeeze. "We may have been brought into the world as different creatures, but we still have the same hopes, and plans for our future."

He paused, grinning at her. "At least..I _think_ we have the same life plans for our future.." he added, with a teasing smirk.

Kia blushed. "Yes, I think our life plans _are_ the same.." she admitted quietly.

Kenai laughed. "I thought so.." Kia forced a laugh, though she felt awkward.

Kenai heaved a happy sigh and gazed at Kia. "Shall we get going again?"

Kia nodded. "Yeah, let's-"

Kenai suddenly pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Shhh!" he whispered.

Kia nodded. "What's wrong, Kenai?" she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.

Kenai gulped, looking at the trees and bushes that surrounded them from every angle. "We..we're not alone..!"


	5. Ambush!

Hey! Sorry for taking so long to update on this! Oh well, better late then never, that's what I always say! ;)

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**Chapter 5: Ambush!**

Kia let out what sounded like a choked gasp. "What- what do you mean!"

Kenai turned away, still scanning the area. "There's something hiding nearby. I can hear it.." he whispered.

Just then, a saber tooth tiger jumped down from one of the trees. It snarled, eyeing Kenai and Kia hungrily, as it slowly began to stalk toward them. The saber's eyes burned like fire, its cold stare never leaving the two frightened humans.

Kia shivered nervously and touched Kenai's shoulder, her gaze still on the feline predator. "What sh-should we d-d-do, Kenai?" she asked.

Kenai gulped. "There's only one thing _to_ do. I'll fight this saber tooth tiger, and you run!"

Kia gasped, and her expression became filled with fear. "But-Kenai!"

Kenai placed his finger on her lips, stopping her in mid sentence. "Don't worry, Kia. I can handle this guy.."

Kia nodded sadly, and ran away.

"..I think.." Kenai added under his breath as he faced the big feline.

Kia ran as fast as she could down the winding path through the forest. She had not gone too far when suddenly she heard a noise behind her. The girl turned around slowly. "Kenai..?"

As she watched, she soon learned that this was not Kenai she had heard, but _another_ saber tooth tiger!

The feline predator licked its chops hungrily, as its gaze met Kia's. His mouth curved in an evil grin, and he lunged at the bear-turned-woman.

The girl cried out in fear, and raced away, to go find Kenai. After she burst through a series of bushes and trees, she found him.

The boy was wrestling wildly with the first saber tooth cat. Kenai glanced up then, and spotted Kia, becoming momentarily distracted. "Kia!"

In that split second, the saber tooth pounced on Kenai, pinning him on his back.

The feline lowered his jaws, prepared to enjoy his meal.

Just then, the saber that had been chasing Kia leapt out into the clearing. It was larger then the first one.

Startled, the smaller saber tooth cat glared up from his prey. Spotting the larger feline predator, he got up off Kenai, and jumped in the path of the big cat.

He snarled, as if saying "Hey buddy! I found these humans first, so get lost!"

The big cat roared loudly, and lunged at the other saber. The small saber growled, and also attacked.

This was just the beginning of a long war between the two.

While the two felines were still battling, Kia quietly tiptoed over to Kenai. She extended her hand down towards him, to help him up.

Kenai accepted it, and quickly scrambled to his feet. He watched as the two big cats raged in battle.

Then he turned to Kia, and whispered in her ear. "Let's hurry and make a run for it!" He bent down to retrieve their spears.

He gave Kia hers, and they both took off, leaving the still fighting felines behind...

Several hours later, Kenai and Kia trudged through the forest. They were both very tired from their narrow escape earlier. They had only recently stopped running. Now they just walked, at a slow pace.

Neither of them wanted to admit it, but both Kenai and Kia knew that they would need to find someplace safe to rest soon.

Kia cried out as she tripped over her moccasin again, and started to fall.

Luckily, Kenai reached out and caught her arm, preventing the fall. "Whoops! Careful!" he cautioned.

Kia chuckled, nodding, and they continued walking.

A few minutes later though, Kia stopped walking. She leaned against a tree and slid down to the ground, moaning softly.

Kenai stopped and looked at her. "What's the matter, Kia." he asked.

Kia looked w eakly at him. "I'm sorry, but..I don't think I can walk any further...I need to rest awhile.."

Kenai smiled warmly. "Okay, I am too. Let's find someplace to stop for awhile." he said, helping Kia up.

They nearly jumped out of their skin as they heard a clap of thunder. Then rain started to pelt the two humans.

Kia glanced around the forest, her vision blurred by the pouring rain. Suddenly, her stare stopped on what looked like...a cave? Kia rubbed the rain out of her eyes and looked again, squinting to see better. Yes, a small cave stood not too far from where they were.

Kia pointed the cave out to Kenai, and they ran for it, Kenai leading the way.

The rain was making it terribly hard for Kia to see. Suddenly, the rain got even harder, and it became impossible to see.

As she ran blindly, Kia suddenly tripped over a fallen log that lay in the path. Pain shot through Kia's leg, as she fell helplessly to the ground.

She tried to get up, but found that it was even more painful when she put pressure on her left ankle. Defeated, Kia could do nothing but lay helplessly on the ground, as the hard rain fell down on her.

Meanwhile, Kenai had just reached the cave, and was hurrying inside.

"Yes! We made it, Kia!" he cheered, but he soon realized that the girl was not with him.

No longer caring if he got drenched, Kenai ran out of the cave, and searched for the girl, going back the way he had come.

"Kia!" he called. Straining his ears, Kenai thought he heard a muffled cry. "Kia?"

He ran toward the sound, and soon found Kia sprawled out on the ground.

Worried, Kenai ran over to the fallen girl. "Kia, are you okay!" he asked.

Kia lifted her head slowly, and looked at him. "Kenai?"

Kenai let out a sigh of relief. "Tank the Great Spirits you're alright!" he exclaimed.

Kia smiled weakly. "I'm alright, but...I hurt my ankle...I can't get up." she said.

She tried again to get up, but like before, pain shot through her ankle and she was again, forced to the ground.

Kenai sighed. "If you can't get up.." he murmured.

Kia nodded sadly. "Yeah, I know..I will have to stay here.." she said, but Kenai shook his head.

"No, I was going to say I'll carry you." He crouched down and gently scooped Kia into his arms, being careful not to drag her left ankle.

Slowly Kenai stood back up, and headed back towards the cave. Kia glanced up weakly, and saw a determined expression on Kenai's face.

_'I'm so lucky.'_ she thought, a smile spreading across her face. _'Kenai would rather come search for me in a storm, then keep himself dry in the cave!'_

They finally arrived back at the cave. "Okay, we'll be safe and dry in here, Kia." he said, gently laying her down on the ground.

Then he grabbed some sticks from outside, and began rubbing them together at a fast pace.

Kia lifted her head, as she watched this. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

Kenai smiled at her. "I'm making a fire." he explained. "That way it'll be warmer in here."

He dropped the sticks to a fire as a small, orange flame shot up from them.

Kia grinned. "You did it!" she said cheerfully.

Kenai blew a bit on the flames, making them bigger. Then he fed the fire more sticks, so it would keep going for awhile.

Once Kenai was sure it would stay burning, he had a seat on the cave floor by Kia.

"There we go. That fire should last for a long time now."

"I sure hope so." Kia said, smiling. She sat up, leaning against her arms for some support.

Kenai reached an arm out and gently pulled the girl over to him, so she could lean against his side.

"Kenai,I am going to be okay, aren't I?" Kia asked after a few minutes, breaking the silence.

Kenai smiled down at the girl. "Of course you are." he said reassuringly.

"Besides, it is only a sprained ankle. It'll get better in no time. Probably be fine by tomorrow." he added softly, gazing down at her.

Kia grinned. "That's good." She lowered her head, her eyes closing.

Kenai stroked her hair gently.

"Even if you didn't get better by tomorrow, I'd carry you until you were better." he said. "You know that I'd do anything for you, Kia. There's no job too big for me when it concerns you."

When Kia didn't answer, Kenai glanced down at the girl. She was fast asleep.

He smiled and gently lowered her head so it rest on his lap. That way she'd be more comfortable, he thought.

"Good night, Kia." Kenai said softly, leaning against the cave wall. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

Kia opened her eyes a few moments later, and seeing Kenai sleeping, she smiled.

She sat up long enough to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she lay down again and went back to sleep.


	6. The Cubs

Well...I just feel like updating this today, so I'll be putting up a bunch of chapters...XD

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**Chapter 6: The Cubs **

Kenai rubbed his eyes in an effort to block the sunlight that was pouring into the cave. He yawned and opened his eyes slowly, stretching his arms. Then he glanced down at Kia, who was still sleeping soundly.

_'Well, we slept longer then I thought we would..'_ he thought.

Kenai decided to wake the girl up, and see if her ankle was better today. They needed to get moving again, if they were going to beat that wolf pack to the village.

Kenai gently shook Kia's shoulder. "Kia, wake up. It's morning!" he said softly.

When Kia did not budge, he shook her again, this time harder. "Kia!" The bear-turned-human still did not wake up.

_'Man, she sure is a heavy sleeper!'_ he thought, an amused smirk on his face.

Kenai sighed. There was absolutely no way he would be able to wake Kia up. But they really needed to get moving, while it was still morning.

So when all of his attempts to wake Kia failed, Kenai picked up the sleeping girl in his arms and walked outside.

In spite of the warm sunshine, this morning, it was quite cold out. The air felt damp from the rainstorm, and there were puddles everywhere.

Kenai walked carefully around them, trying not to make the walk too bumpy for the sleeping girl in his arms. He came to a stop as she began to stir.

"Mmff.." she grunted. A minute later, Kia's eyes opened and she looked around. "Wh-where am I..?"

She looked up then, and realized Kenai was carrying her again. "Kenai? Why are you holding me again?" she asked.

Kenai snickered. "I tried waking you...You are one _heavy_ sleeper!" he exclaimed.

Kia blushed slightly. "Ohh..."

Kenai grinned at her. "Anyways...Do you want to try walking and see how your foot is doing?" he asked.

Kia nodded. "Yes, I do want to try."

So Kenai lowered the girl to the ground gently. Kia gripped one of his hands and slowly tried to pull herself up.

To her surprise, she felt no pain go through her ankle. She easily walked, and did not fall when she let go of Kenai's hand.

Kenai grinned at her. "Hey, you're all better!" he cheered.

Kenai reached and pulled the bear-turned-girl into a hug.

Kia returned the hug. "Yeah, so we can get even more ground covered, now that you don't have to carry me."

Kenai gave Kia an extra tight squeeze in the hug. "I still would carry you though, even if you are better. You know by now that I will do anything for you."

Kia jumped a bit as she felt Kenai press his lips to hers, in a kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise, and even though she did not know what she was doing, she returned the kiss.

A few moments later, the two humans broke apart, gasping for air.

"What...was..that..?" Kia asked, still gasping.

"A..a kiss.." Kenai responded, blushing awkwardly.

Kia looked unphased. "Oh..a kiss.." she paused. "Um..what's a kiss?"

Kenai's face turned a deep shade of red as he explained to Kia what a kiss meant. When he had finished, Kia's face was also bright red.

"Ohh..haha, so that's what it is.." she murmured and Kenai nodded.

The two bears-turned-humans became silent, feeling uncomfortable about this subject.

Finally Kenai broke the silence. "Okay..since you can walk again, let's go."

Kia nodded quickly. "Uh huh! Okay!" she said, relieved with the subject change. They both walked in silence for awhile. As they passed a couple bushes, a cry rang out.

Kenai wanted to leave whatever had made the noise alone, but Kia wanted a closer look, so they cautiously approached the bushes. Kia peeked inside and squealed delightedly.

Laying on the ground were two small, chocolate brown grizzly bear cubs. One of them spotted Kia, and let out a small, somewhat squeaky growl, warning them not to get any closer.

Kia let out a soft giggle and ignoring the warning, she stepped all the way into the bushes.

"Kia, I don't think this is such a good idea.." Kenai cautioned as he followed her.

The only reply he got was "Don't worry, Kenai. I know what I'm doing."

Kenai rolled his eyes and shook his head in disgust. "Women!" he muttered.

Kia turned and glared at him but said nothing. She got down on her knees and gently picked one of the cubs up.

He growled and sank his tiny bear teeth into Kia's hand. She let out a small shriek and looked down at the cub.

"Hey, there's no need for that." she began.

The cub did not bite her again, but just stared at her, a scowl on his face as he uttered a low growl.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Kia continued. "I'm one of you, believe it or not." she said softly, stroking the cub's fur.

The little bear's scowl had vanished, and his growl sounded more like a soft...purr.. His brother joined them then, his ears flicked backward, looking unsure. He glanced at his brother, who was now having his head rubbed by Kia.

In between pats, he looked down at his brother and nodded his head, letting out a friendly growl. Timidly the cub crept closer, and closer, until Kia held both of them in her arms.

She smiled. "See? We're not your enemies...We're your friends! Right, Kenai?"

Kenai gulped. "Right." He couldn't help feeling nervous, for he knew that these cubs' mother could not be far.

He gasped as he felt a slight tug on his pants, and glanced down- only to see one of the cubs with his pant leg in his mouth. The cub let out a soft, playful growl and jumped into Kenai's arms.

Kenai smiled as the little bear rubbed its cheek against his. He laughed and glanced over at Kia.

She was cradling the other cub in her arms. Kenai began to relax a little, forgetting about the mother bear that would soon be back.

The bear cub scrambled out of his arms, and climbed up onto Kenai's head.

Kia giggled. "He likes you, Kenai!" she exclaimed.

Kenai nodded. "I know. He-"

The rest of his sentence was drowned out by a nearby roar.

Kenai's eyes widened. "Kia quick! We have to go! Their mother's here! She-"

Another deafening roar sounded, much closer this time.

Kia's eyes widened in fear. She and Kenai placed the cubs back down on the ground and bolted out of the bushes.

"That was a close one!" Kia gasped as they ran.

Kenai nodded. "Too close! We are _not_ doing that again!" He looked behind them and gasped.

Chasing after them were the two bear cubs, and behind them, was their mother! The large brown-black bear roared in outrage at Kenai and Kia.

The two humans ran as fast as they could.

Suddenly, Kenai stopped, and turned to face the large sow. Kia skidded to a halt and ran back to him.

"Kenai-! Why'd you stop!" she cried.

Kenai sighed. "I won't let this bear hurt you...I have no choice, but to face her, to keep you safe."

Kia's face fell as she heard this. "Kenai..."

Kenai hung his head. "I have no choice, Kia..I have to fight her." he said, preparing his spear.

Kia's eyes filled with tears and she lowered her head, so Kenai wouldn't see.

The two cubs came closer and closer, as did their mother. Suddenly, the mother ran in between her cubs and the humans, roaring loudly, angrily.

The two bear cubs looked back at Kia and Kenai and tried to go to them, but their mother roared again.

The little bear cubs' eyes filled with tears, and they turned and ran back to the bushes.

Their mother turned then, and glanced at Kenai and Kia. Her gaze locked on Kenai's spear, and her scowl was immediately replaced by a look of fear.

The black-brown sow backed a few feet away, then turned and raced back to her cubs, never looking back at the two humans.

Kia's heart was filled with dread as she recalled the look that bear had just given them. She'd seemed so...scared...

Kenai cleared his throat then. "Kia...let's get out of here." he said quietly.

Kia wordlessly followed Kenai, her heart still heavy with sorrow..


	7. Return of the Sabers

**Chapter 7: Return Of The Sabers**

Kenai glanced over at Kia. The bear-turned-girl had not said one word since their encounter with the mother bear.

He sighed and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Kia, what's bothering you?" he asked softly.

Kia shrugged carelessly and pushed his hand away. "Nothing." she mumbled, but the tone of her voice betrayed her.

Kenai raised an eyebrow at her. "_Nothing's_ wrong?" he asked, not buying Kia's fib.

Kia heaved a sigh. "I don't know...I just..I miss being a bear.." she looked away sadly.

Kenai put his arm around Kia's shoulders. "I know, Kia..I do too." he said sympathetically.

Kia heaved another sigh and turned again to face Kenai.

"The sooner we complete this task the better!" she said, forcing a smile.

Kenai nodded. "I couldn't agree with you more..I wanna be a bear again." he said, laughing. "I miss my warm fur!"

Kia chuckled. "Yes, our fur is much warmer then these things you call 'coats'!"

Kenai soon stopped laughing. "But, it's still cool being humans..I mean..think about it...If we were still bears, we couldn't do _this_!"

He pulled Kia close to him and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

Kia's face reddened as Kenai grinned at her. "See what I mean?" he asked cheerfully.

The girl blushed again. "Uhh..yeah...but.." Kia pushed away from Kenai. "..You saw the way that mother bear looked at us. She was so afraid of us, just because we're humans!" she said sadly.

Kenai reached out to grab her hand, but Kia pulled away from him.

"I-it's okay, Kenai." she said softly, fighting back tears.

Kenai looked at her in surprise. "But Kia-" Kia put up a hand, silencing him.

"Forget about it Kenai." she said, her voice trembling.

She grabbed her spear and ran off into the forest, leaving behind a very confused Kenai.

"What?" he muttered under his breath, then shaking his head, he ran off to find the upset girl.

Kia didn't slow down, even when she heard Kenai calling her name. She just kept on running.

She stopped when she came to a large, flat rock and had a seat on it, panting in exhaustion. Kia glanced around the forest, but was forced to shield her eyes as a gusty wind kicked up, then ended abruptly.

When she uncovered her eyes, the bear-turned-woman heard a noise nearby. Then a twig snapped.

She nervously walked to where she thought the noise might have come from.

"He-hello? Is someone there?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Looking in the bushes and up in the trees, Kia could see nothing.

Shrugging, the girl turned to return to her seat on the rock-- and screamed shrilly at what she saw before her...

Meanwhile, Kenai was still out searching for the bear-turned-woman who he was so fond of.

So far, he was having terrible luck. "Kia, where are you!"

When there was still no answer, the boy dropped to his knees, defeated. Why didn't Kia answer, when she knew very well that he was searching for her!

At that moment, a loud, shrill scream pierced through the air, breaking the silence.

As the sharp cry echoed throughout the forest, Kenai's eyes widened, and he gripped tightly onto his spear. "Kia!"

He got quickly to his feet and was about to resume searching when a loud animal cry rang out, followed by another of Kia's screams.

Hearing the cries of his beloved Kia, Kenai ran quickly, in the direction of that the screams had come from..

Kia backed away fearfully, towards the bushes, as her eyes met with those of a saber tooth tiger. It was the big one that she and Kenai had encountered the day before.

Kia's heart skipped a beat as the big cat came closer and closer to her, drooling hungrily as it licked its chops.

She screamed again. "Kenai!" she called desperately. She was beginning to wish she had never gone off on her own.

She cried out again. "Help! Kenai!"

Kia was stunned when she heard a voice. "I'm coming, Kia!"

Kia glanced around. Could it really be Kenai?

A moment later, Kenai burst through the bushes and ran at the saber tooth, spear lowered.

The big cat snarled and batted at Kenai with one of its large, furry forepaws. Kenai stabbed it in the paw with his spear.

The feline roared in pain as blood sprayed out of his paw. He turned on Kenai, his eyes glinting with rage as he charged at him.

Kia watched in open mouthed terror as Kenai battled the beast.

He stabbed at the cat, and stabbed at it, until finally he stabbed its neck. The saber tooth tiger dropped to the ground, dead, stabbed by the spear.

Kenai opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as there was a rustling in the bushes behind Kia. "Kia, watch out!"

He pushed the girl away, and positioned his spear in front of the bushes.

Just as he did this, the other smaller saber tooth tiger charged out--right smack into Kenai's waiting spear!

Blood oozed down out of the saber's forehead and he too dropped onto the ground, dead.

Kia looked at Kenai in wide eyed shock. "You...saved my life..." she said softly, and threw her arms around his neck in a big hug.

Kenai hugged her back. Then he looked at her, his face grim. "Next time, Kia...We stay together. No more of this wandering off."

Kia nodded, still hugging the boy. "Okay.." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Kenai..I was just so upset about earlier, and I needed to be alone to think about it..." she paused.

"In the process, I almost got myself killed!" she said unhappily, glancing over at the two dead saber tooth cats.

Kenai nodded silently. "I understand, Kia. Just...try to remember. This job is going to be over sooner then you think, and then we'll be bears again." he said. "So I beg you..try to enjoy your last days as a human..Do it for me?"

Kia heaved a low sigh. She forced herself to smile as she looked at Kenai.

"Okay...fine. I'll do it. For you." she said finally.

She kissed his cheek then grabbed his hand. "So let's get going!" She said cheerfully.

Kenai blushed, touching his cheek where she had kissed him, with his free hand as they walked.

An hour went by and Kia turned to face Kenai.

"Um..How much farther do you think it is to your village, Kenai?" she asked.

Kenai looked around as they kept moving. "I actually don't believe it's that far..We have been walking for such a long time. We've got to be getting pretty close." he said slowly.

He watched the road up ahead for a short while, until suddenly, he started to feel familiar with the path they were on. It was the path he and his brothers had taken to the river, to go fishing.

Kenai turned and grinned at Kia. "We're really close!" he said happily.

A wide smile spread across Kia's face. "Really?" she asked.

Kenai nodded. "Yeah! I even know where we are, we're so close!" he said.

Kenai let go of her hand and walked a little ahead, in the left direction. He motioned back for Kia to follow.

"C'mon, we're almost there!"

Kia ran off eagerly after Kenai, as they headed for the village..

The two humans were unaware of it, but they were being watched.

In the shadows of the trees, a large, dark grey wolf peered out at the retreating couple.

His eyes burned like coals as he turned to another smaller, silver and grey wolf.

"The time to attack is drawing nearer." he said, his voice harsh and commanding.

The smaller wolf nodded his head. "Yes, yes..nearer..But why are doing this, Silver Fang? Why must we kill the humans?" He inquired.

Silver Fang turned, and his hard stare rested on the grey and silver wolf.

"Why? Why! Because they deserve it, that's why! Humans have taken everything from me...Don't forget what they did to you, Warner! Remember your wife? Your pack?"

Warner shook his head quickly. "Those weren't humans that killed my pack, they were dogs!"

Silver Fang snorted. "Dogs may have killed your pack, but humans are the ones that made the dogs so violent! They mistreated those poor animals, and made them violent killing machines!"

Warner's ears pressed flat against his head as he thought sadly about the day his pack had been destroyed, and his wife killed. He hung his head and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"I know...but..still..It just doesn't seem right to kill these humans."

Silver Fang suddenly turned and pounced onto Warner, knocking him onto his back. He held one paw against the silver-grey wolf's chest, keeping him pinned.

"Listen Warner! _I_ am the one who gives the orders in this pack, not you! So if you wish to join my pack, I suggest that you listen and obey my commands, and voice your opinions less! Do I make myself clear?" he snarled, baring his canine teeth.

Warner nodded, his pale blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Crystal." he replied.

Silver Fang seemed satisfied with this, and he let Warner back up.

"Good. Now that we have an understanding, alert the pack! We attack at dawn..The villagers will be most unsuspecting then.."

The dark grey wolf laughed evilly as he imagine the battle scenario.

Warner stared at the wolf pack leader.

_'I have to stop him!'_ The grey and silver wolf thought determinedly, _'But how!'_


	8. Arrival at the Village

**Chapter 8: Arrival At The Village**

As the two bear-turned-humans approached the village, Kenai whispered in Kia's ear. "Be warned..We are both going to be drowned in questions by the villagers."

Boy was Kenai ever right! Not even two minutes after they entered the village, Tanana, Denahi and a few children surrounded them!

"Kenai, what are you doing here?" Tanana asked. "Where is the little bear that usually tags along with you?"

Before Kenai or Kia could answer her, however, Denahi spoke up.

"Who is _she_?" he asked, motioning to Kia.

"Well, she-" Kenai began, but was cut off again.

"Is there a reason you have changed back into a human?" Tanana asked.

"Are you back to stay here forever?" the children asked.

"Who is _she_?" Denahi asked again, still staring curiously at Kia. "Is she a bear too?"

"Tell us, tell us!" the children chorused.

It was then that Denahi realized that if all of them kept on shooting out questions like this, Kenai and his friend would not be able to answer them. They would more likely get confused!

He motioned to the children. "Hey kids. Why don't you go..umm..pick some berries for dinner tonight?" he suggested. "I'm sure everyone would appreciate it."

The children blinked and looked at each other for a moment. "Okay!" they chorused, running off.

Tanana chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Thank you, Denahi. Now then, let's go inside and hear your story, Kenai. I am curious to know why you are here, and as a human even! Oh my, it must be important."

The four of them went inside a hut. Once they were all seated, Tanana turned to Kenai and Kia.

"Which one of you two would like to start?"

Kenai groaned and rubbed his temples. "Ugghh! Where _do_ we start?" he muttered under his breath.

Kia shrugged. "I don't know." she admitted.

"How about..you start by telling us your name." Denahi suggested, looking at Kia.

Tanana nodded in agreement. "That's a fine idea. Go ahead, dear. Tell us your name."

"Uhh..okay." Kia said. ""My name's Nakia. My friends call me Kia."

"Nice to meet you, Kia. I'm Denahi." Kenai's older brother said.

Suddenly he did something very unexpected. He stepped forward and kissed one of Kia's hands!

Kia felt her face turn red. "Uhh..nice to meet you too." she said awkwardly, withdrawing her hand.

Denahi stepped back, grinning. His grin faded when he saw Kenai glaring angrily at him.

He smirked at his little brother. "Aww...what's the matter, little brother? Can't handle a little competition?" he teased.

Kenai stomped over to Denahi. "Why I oughtta.." He raised a fist to hit his brother, but Tanana stopped him.

"Boys! Please! You two can continue your little argument later, but right now, Nakia is trying to speak. I think you two are being very rude. You should show her more respect, and listen." she said, looking a bit irritated.

She turned back to Kia. "I'm sorry, dear. What were you saying?"

Kenai huffily returned to Kia's side, and glaring at Denahi, he stuck his tongue out at his older brother.

Kia giggled at Kenai's ridiculous behavior. "Well, you know my name. Just like Kenai, I am also a grizzly bear."

"So why are you two humans then?" Denahi asked, ignoring the spiteful look Kenai was giving him.

"Because," Kia began. "The Spirits need us to warn you, that you are all in terrible danger. A wolf pack is on its way right now, to kill you all!"

Tanana gasped sharply. "Oh my!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Denahi looked sadly at Kia. "But...why! I mean, I'm one of them! Or at least, I'm destined to be one of them." He showed Kia his wolf totem.

Kia sighed. "I don't honestly know why, Denahi. I wish I did, though. I might be able to stop this fight that is going to take place."

Tanana looked at Kenai. "Kenai..If what your friend Nakia says is true, then the people of our village should be preparing for battle! You two must tell the others what you have told us. Please, stay for dinner, and you can announce this before we eat."

Kia sighed, hearing the shaman's words.

"It really has to be that way? Why can't we just talk to them and try to resolve this issue without war?"

Tanana heaved a sigh. "As much as I would like that, it wouldn't work. I'm afraid you would not be able to understand the wolves. Although...hmm."

Kia stared at her. "What?"

"The Spirits might be able to make it possible for you to commune with the wolves. I will ask about this."

Kia smiled. "Yeah, the Spirits could help!" she said.

Tanana chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yes. You two, stay for dinner..I will tell you what the Spirits say afterwards."

Kenai and Kia exchanged glances then turned to Tanana. "Okay, we'll stay." they both said.

"Excellent." Tanana said softly.


	9. A New Experience

**Chapter 9: A New Experience**

Tanana left a few moments later, to go check up on something, leaving Denahi, Kenai and Kia alone in the hut.

Denahi looked at Kenai and Kia. "I don't know how you two feel, but I can't stand being inside this stuffy hut any longer!" he said.

Kenai chuckled and glanced at the girl beside him. "Me neither! C'mon, Kia. Let's get out of here!"

He looked up and saw his brother exiting the hut and he got an idea, that would make him look good in front of Kia.

Kenai reached out and pulled his brother away from the door, by the hood on his coat.

"Huh uh uh!" he said, and Denahi threw him a questioning look.

"Ladies first!" Kenai said, and shoved his brother away, then motioned for Kia to go through.

Kia walked outside, giggling at Kenai's gentleman behavior. He followed her and took her hand gently in his.

As they watched, Denahi came out of the hut. Kia groaned as she noticed that he was approaching her, a sweet smile on his face.

Denahi took Kia's other hand, and whisked her away from Kenai.

"So, my love...What do you say we blow this village and my brother -He glanced back at Kenai, who was giving him a death stare- and go someplace? Just the two of us...No villagers, no Kenai..We'd be alone.." He offered, smirking back at Kenai.

The boy was clenching his fists into balled up fists. His teeth were gritted and he looked angry.

Kia gulped. "J-just the two of us? I? You? _Alone_ ?" she stammered nervously.

Denahi nodded. "Just you and I."

Kenai let out a loud angry growl. "**Denahi** ! Leave Kia alone!"

His older brother just laughed. "Cool it, Kenai! I'm only kidding around!" he said.

Both Kenai and Kia heaved relieved sighs as they heard this.

Denahi laughed. "You two are better for each other anyway!" he teased, making both Kenai and Kia blush a bright red.

Denahi shook his head, laughing as he leaned back against a tree, stretching.

"Well..We've got a while yet, before dinner is served...So what do you want to do?" he asked.

Kenai smiled at Kia. "I know what we can do! Follow me!" he said.

Kenai grabbed Kia's hand and took off running to the river, with Denahi following close behind.

"Kenai- I'm not so sure this is a very good idea." Kia fretted as Kenai helped her into a canoe. Then he climbed in.

Just as he sat down, his brother pushed the canoe roughly, and they went sliding into the river.

Kenai looked at Denahi, confused. "I thought you were coming with us." he said, staring at his brother, who was standing on the shore.

Denahi laughed. "I don't think you'd have as much fun with me along. Besides, I'm sure you want to be alone with your girlfriend, Kenai!"

Before Kenai could protest, his brother raced off, snickering to himself. Kenai rolled his eyes, though he was blushing.

"Here." he said, handing Kia a paddle.

Kia stared at it curiously. "What do I do with it?" she wanted to know.

Kenai chuckled. "Just do what I do." he said.

He lowered his paddle into the river and began to stroke, causing the canoe to go forward.

"Oh.." Kia murmured as she watched Kenai's quick, smooth strokes.

Now that she had a good idea of what to do, Kia wanted to try paddling herself. She lowered her paddle into the river and gave a push.

To her surprise, the paddle just flung out of the water, and splashed Kenai in the face. She gasped, and grabbed a cloth that was in the boat.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she cried, drying the boy's face gently.

Kenai glanced at her, surprised. "That's okay, Kia."

Kia smiled, and turned back to her paddle, once again, trying to move it through the water like Kenai did. She did not notice the smirk on his face as he looked over at her.

Kenai lowered his paddle into the water, and hit the water with it, making water fall down on Kia, almost like raindrops.

She turned and looked at him, bewildered. "What was that for!" she asked, ringing out her now damp, black hair.

Kenai shrugged, but he was still smirking at her. "I had to get you back." he said simply.

Kia growled playfully at Kenai. She leaned forward and gave the boy's shoulders a shove.

She soon saw that it was too much of a push that she'd given him, as Kenai, caught off guard, fell backward, and splashed into the river.

Kia gasped, and looked over the canoe's edge into the river. "Kenai!"

The girl screamed, as the canoe suddenly tipped over, and she was dumped into the river.

She swam up to surface, and saw Kenai laughing uncontrollably.

"Gotcha!" he said, swimming over to her.

Kia rolled her eyes and faked a laugh. "Well...I just got you back!"

Kia splashed Kenai in the eye with the river water, and then swam away, as fast as she could toward the shore.

She glanced back, and frowned, as she noticed that Kenai was no longer behind her.

The bear-turned-girl gasped loudly as suddenly, she was lifted up out of the water.

Glancing down, Kia soon realized that Kenai had picked her up on top of his shoulders and walked out of the river.

"Scared you, didn't I?" the boy asked, looking up at her, and Kia nodded, laughing.

They both looked forward then, and gasped. Tanana was standing on the shore a few feet away. A stern expression was on her face, and her arms were crossed.

Kenai let Kia drop into his arms and then let her onto the ground, quickly.

"Uhhh...hi." he mumbled awkwardly.

Kia gulped. "Hello, Tanana..."

Tanana's expression did not change.

"Kenai, Nakia!" -Kia winced as she was called by her real name again-

"Oh my, just look at you two! You're absolutely soaked! Did you really think it was a good day to go swimming!"

The shaman paused, and heaved a sigh. "Now, come on back to the village, and let's get you two dried off...Dinner will be served soon, and I want you both to look your very best."

Kenai and Kia looked sheepishly at each other as they followed the shaman back to the village..


	10. The Paw Print on the Wall

**Chapter 10: The Paw Print On the Wall**

By the time Kenai and Kia had gotten all cleaned up, and their clothes had dried, it was time to go to dinner.

Kia walked beside Kenai, looking nervous. "Kenai, please don't leave my side tonight...I'm not sure what to say to all those villagers, when we tell them our message!"

Kenai chuckled, and held her hand protectively in his. "Don't worry, Kia. I won't ever leave you, not if I can help it. We're in this thing together. Try not to worry about it anymore." he said reassuringly.

Kia nodded after a moment. "Okay, I'll try not to get too worked up about this." She said finally.

"I'm starving! Let's go eat!" Kenai said. Kia nodded, laughing.

"Me too!" She said, as they both ran towards the group of villagers who had gathered to eat.

"Quiet! Alright, calm down." Tanana called out over the many voices of the chatting villagers.

After a few more repeated attempts, the villagers fell silent. All, that is, except for two young talkative boys. K ia giggled to herself as the children continued on with their noisy discussion. Seeing the two chatterbox's made Kia feel homesick for the chatterbox she and Kenai had left back home, at the Salmon Run.

True, Koda could be a pain, and he talked way too much, but still...The bear cub had grown on Kia during her stay with Kenai and Koda. He had almost become like...well, like a little brother to Kia.

All of a sudden, Kia was snapped out of her pleasant day dreams and back to reality at the sound of loud clapping.

Startled, Kia glanced at Kenai. "Kenai, what's going on?" she asked.

Kenai stared at her, looking surprised at her question. "We're about to go warn the villagers of those wolves. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Kia flushed. "Well, I.." Tanana started to speak then, so Kia turned her attention to the old shaman.

"I am sure you all remember Kenai. He and his friend Nakia have traveled a long way, and overcome much, I'm sure, to give you all a message directly from the Great Spirits. So please show them some respect and listen up."

The villagers fell silent as Kenai and Kia approached Tanana.

She nodded at them, and they looked out at all the people, then Kenai started to speak. "Well, my brother gave Kia and I a message for you. it's not what you'd expect, so you better brace yourself..."

Kia groaned, growing impatient with Kenai's stalling. Uttering a low, frustrated growl under her breath, Kia pulled Kenai back and stepped up in front of him.

"You're all in danger!" she blurted out.

A few murmurs arose from the crowd, and Kia heard lots of sharp gasps.

"How are we in danger!" A villager suddenly asked, and all the villagers' gazes shot towards Kia expectantly.

"Please everyone- listen to me!" Kia said. "An evil wolf pack is planning to kill you all!" she cried.

Kenai stepped beside the girl. "The only problem is we don't know when they're planning to strike." he said.

"Yeah, so you all need to be ready at all times!" Kia chimed in, relieved that Kenai was helping her explain now. "So after dinner I think you should go prepare for war. This is going to be quite a battle!"

Loud yells arose from everyone in the crowd, and they pumped their fists up in the air, shouting,"We will be ready. We'll conquer, and destroy!" Kia and Kenai rejoined the crowd, having said all they could.

Tanana held up one hand then, silencing all the war cries. "Alright, now that Kenai and Nakia have given their message, let's eat."

As she spoke, men approached the villagers, each of them carrying a large basket. They placed their baskets on the ground, and joined the hungry villagers.

From where she stood, Kia saw massive amounts of salmon in the baskets. A few of them were also filled to the brim with many berries. Kenai glanced over and saw that Kia was eyeing the salmon.

He nudged her gently. "Hey," he whispered to her, "We may be human, but we still get to eat like bears tonight! Salmon and berries!"

Kia grinned, and nodded, her mouth watering. Tanana called for everyone to get in line, and they did.

The shaman even let Kenai and Kia go to the front of the line, since they were only visiting. Kenai and Kia both grabbed a flat, stone plate.

Then Tanana placed two salmons on their plates, along with two big handfuls of berries. Once their plates were full, Kenai and Kia walked off to find someplace to eat.

They decided to sit down over by the wall with the villager's ancestors' hand prints. Kia stared curiously up at the wall, as she took a bite out of a salmon.

"What is all of this, Kenai?" she asked.

Kenai smiled at her, then looked up at the hand prints.

"There's a time in everybody's life, when the Great Spirits reveal our totem to us. It is the animal that is supposed to help guide us, and most embodies with our spirit. When we finally manage to live by our totem, we are given the privilege of putting up our hand print on this wall. It's the sign that we've truly become a man--or a women." he explained.

Kia stared at the wall in awe. "...Wow..!" she turned to Kenai. "Which hand print is yours?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Kenai smiled. He put his plate on the ground, and got up, motioning for Kia to do the same.

Kenai took a hold of Kia's hand, then placed it on a paw print that was on the wall.

"This one is yours?" Kia asked softly, as Kenai kept her hand pressed to that very print.

Kenai nodded proudly. "Yeah...I got to put my print on the wall, even though I became a bear...It was an act of love to stay a bear, to care for Koda...And since love is my totem, that meant that I learned how to live as the bear of love."

He grinned at Kia, who was still staring in amazement at the bear's paw print. She turned and smiled warmly at Kenai.

"That must have been the proudest moment of your life.." she said softly.

Kenai chuckled. "Well, one of them. The absolute _proudest _moment of my life was anytime you were there sharing it with me." he winked at her.

Kia smiled, flattered by what the boy had just said.

The two settled back down to eat after a little bit more talking.

The salmon was delicious, thought Kia, as she sank her teeth into a salmon hungrily.

"Excuse me, can I join you?" came a voice.

"Hmm?" Kia glanced up- and choked as she saw who was before her..


	11. A New Friend

...I wish this was being reviewed still...Oh well...:(

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**Chapter 11: A New Friend**

Kia coughed again, still surprised. Standing in front of her was a young girl, about 9 or 10 years old.

She had long, brown-black hair that went down past her shoulders. She wore a white coat, with brown markings on the collar, and on the fur that hung from the sleeves. Her pants were also brown, and she wore grey moccasins on her feet.

The girl stared at Kia with the most dazzling, innocent pair of blue eyes that Kia had ever seen.

"Are you alright?" she asked, watching Kia choking.

When Kia's coughing fit finally came to an end, she turned to the girl. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. you just..surprised me, that's all."

The girl giggled. "Sorry. My name's Aika."

Kia smiled at Aika. "It's nice to meet you, Aika. I am Kia, and this -she pointed at the boy who was so busy eating that he hadn't noticed their guest- is my friend, Kenai."

Aika laughed. When she stopped, she looked somewhat shyly at Kia. "Umm..Kia? Can I eat over here with you and Kenai?" she asked. Her voice sounded timid.

Kia was about to answer when she suddenly saw the look on Aika's face. Her expression was downcast, and unsure, as if Aika were expecting her to say no.

Kia smiled. "Of course you can, right Kenai?"

Kenai looked up quickly. "What? Who?" he asked, surprised.

Kia motioned to the girl who stood in front of them. "Aika. It's okay if she sits with us, isn't it?"

Kenai shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "I don't mind." he said.

Kia turned her attention back to Aika. "Sure, we'd love to have you." she said.

Aika glanced up, her blue eyes filled with shock. "Really! Ok-! Thank you, Kia and Kenai!"

The girl had a seat next to Kia, and plucked a few berries into her mouth hungrily.

Kia looked at Aika, feeling concerned. The girl was eating as if she hadn't had food for days! She was about to ask Aika about it, when suddenly the girl looked up at her.

Seeing the question in Kia's eyes, she said, "My Mom only feeds me once every three days." Kia gasped.

"What she doesn't know," Aika continued, "Is that everyday I sneak into the forest, and eat as many berries as I can find."

Kenai and Kia exchanged worried glances. "Your Mom only feeds you every three days!" Kenai cried. "...Why?"

Aika sighed. "She hates me.." she said simply. "My Mom makes my life miserable, because she says that I ruined her life by being born..She never wanted me." She explained.

Aika stared down at the ground as she twisted a strand of her long hair around a finger. "Nobody here wants me." she muttered.

Kia placed her hand on the little girl's arm. "Kenai and I do!" she said.

Kenai nodded his head in agreement. "We sure do!"

Aika glanced up quickly, a bewildered look on her face. "But- we just met! How do you know you aren't going to change your minds once you know me better!"

Kenai and Kia smiled warmly at the girl. "Because, we're not like the others here..."

"It's too bad.." Kenai said under his breath.

Aika frowned. "What's too bad?" she asked.

Kia glanced at Kenai and he nodded. "Kenai and aren't really humans.." she said, her gaze shifting to the ground.

"We're bears..We only became humans for a short time.."

"To give us that message from the Spirits?" Aika asked, and Kenai nodded solemnly.

Aika grabbed onto both Kenai and Kia's hands. "So you're leaving soon!"

The bears-turned-humans nodded silently. Aika hung her head and said nothing for a few moments.

"...I want to go with you!" she said suddenly, raising her head and looking at the two humans. "Please let me come with you!"

Kia sighed. 'But...what about your friends?" she replied. "I know you said you don't have any, but Tanana and Denahi care about you."

Aika faked a laugh. "They might, but they don't play with me, and I need friends my own age to actually play with. So, since nobody here except for them cares about me, it won't matter if I go with you guys."

Aika plucked another handful of berries into her mouth.

Glancing down, Kia realized that berries were the only thing she had on her plate.

"Aren't you allowed to eat salmon?" she asked curiously.

Aika nodded. "Oh, yeah! ...But, I don't like fish...Or any kind of sea food, really..." she said.

Kia chuckled. "Oh, I see.."

After dinner, the three of them went down to the river and washed their plates.

On their way back to the village, they were approached by Tanana.

"There you two are!" she said, glancing at Kenai and Kia.

Kenai nodded. "Yeah...Was there something you needed to tell us?"

Tanana gave a slight nod in reply. "I have spoken with the Great Spirits. They have made it so that you can understand one wolf from the pack, and he can also understand you."

Kia grinned. "Great! How do we find this wolf?" she asked.

Tanana looked seriously at her. "You must go deep into the forest, and call out the name 'Warner'." she answered.

Kenai glanced at Kia. "Do you want to go start searching for him?" he asked.

Kia nodded. "Yes, let's!" she said enthusiastically.

Tanana took their plates, and stared back toward the village. "I'll take these for you...Good luck."

Aika tugged at Kia's coat. Kia did a quick double take. She had almost forgotten that the girl was there with them!

"Kia, I want to go too." Aika said.

Kia looked nervously at Kenai. "W...What do you think, Kenai..?"

Kenai thought it over for a few minutes, then nodded.

"Okay Aika, you can come..but you have to stick close. This could be dangerous."

Aika grinned. "Don't you worry! I'll stick close!" she said, as the three of them entered the forest...


	12. Searching For Warner

**Chapter 12: Searching For Warner**

Warner lay lazily on a rock, watching as the sun began to fade a little into night. His gaze shifted to the ground as a grasshopper sprung past.

Warner smiled slightly. Should he go and chase the bug? It was a bit..childish...but he had nothing better to do.

The grey-silver wolf jumped down from the rock and pursued the little grasshopper. He began to get tired, because every time he would begin to close the distance between him and the bug, it would spring even farther away!

Finally Warner outsmarted the bug. he leapt into its path, and the grasshopper bounded right into his mouth! It tickled, because the bug kept hopping around inside, trying to escape.

"Warner!" A female voice suddenly called out, making Warner spit the grasshopper out.

The grey-silver wolf's ears perked up curiously as he listened.

Then another yell rang out, this time a man's voice. "Warner!"

Warner glanced around the forest and shrugged. "I wonder who that could be calling me? It certainly doesn't sound like anyone from the pack!" he muttered, listening as his name was called again, this time by a child it seemed.

Warner decided to investigate, and try to find the source where the calls were coming from.

Was this someone's idea of a joke? Well, Warner certainly didn't find it funny!

The grey and silver wolf crouched low as he peeked out through some bushes, where he saw three humans..

"Warner!" Kia called, then waited until her voice had stopped echoing, before calling out again.

Aika giggled at the echoes. "Hey! Let me try that!" she exclaimed.

The young girl called out, then listened, giggling loudly as her voice echoed over and over again, throughout the forest.

Kia laughed, shaking her head. Aika obviously thought of searching for Warner as more of a game.

Aika looked up at Kia. "Hey, you and Kenai stay here. I'm gonna go look for Warner over there." She said, pointing to a big group of tall pine trees.

Kia chuckled. "Okay, just be careful, and don't go too far." Aika nodded, and raced away.

Kenai turned to Kia then, a puzzled look on his face.

"If he can understand us, why doesn't this wolf show himself?" he asked.

Kia shrugged. "I don't know.." she said. "Maybe he's shy..?" she suggested.

Kenai laughed and nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

In his hiding place, Warner smirked. "_They _are the ones looking for me? Well, I guess it's time to show myself then."

The grey-silver wolf slowly got up and walked out from the bushes.

Kia just happened to glance in the wolf's direction, and she screamed.

Kenai glanced over at Kia, a bewildered expression on his face. "What, Kia!"

Kia tried to back away from the wolf, to Kenai, but she accidently smacked herself into the boy, knocking them both on the ground.

Kenai quickly pulled himself into a sitting position and looked around, trying to see what had scared Kia so badly. Then he saw the light grey and silver wolf approaching them.

Kenai grabbed onto Kia's hands, trying to protect the girl.

The wolf laughed slightly. "Sorry to have alarmed you folks."

What d-do you want?" Kenai asked.

Warner looked in mock surprise at Kenai and Kia. "What do I want? _You _are the ones who were calling me!"

Kia gasped in shock. "Y-you're Warner?" she asked.

Warner nodded. "Now why are you calling me? Why-"

Warner stopped speaking as he suddenly realized something: These human could communicate with him!

"How can you understand me?" he asked, his voice soft as he glanced at Kia, his wolf eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Because," Kenai began as he helped himself and Kia back up, "The Great Spirits made it possible. That way we could talk with you when we found you."

"Why must you attack the villagers?" Kia asked.

Warner heaved a sigh and turned his back to Kenai and Kia. "I have no choice.."

Kia put a hand on Warner's back. "Oh, please Warner! Won't you reconsider, and call off your pack's attack? I beg you! We do not want to fight."

Warner heaved another sigh, and looked helplessly at Kia. "I can't call the attack off...I'm not the pack's leader."

He lowered his head slightly. "Silver Fang is, and trust me, you don't want to talk to him...That wolf would rather rip you to shreds, then listen to your reasoning.." he muttered.

"Can you talk to him for us?" Kenai asked, walking up beside Kia and looking at Warner.

Warner shook his head. "I have already tried to talk him out of this..But Silver Fang doesn't care about humans, because..well...humans took everyone he cared for away from him...So words are useless."

Kenai and Kia exchanged worried glances. "That...could be a problem." Kenai admitted.

Warner nodded, hanging his head. "I know...I don't know how, but somehow...someway, Silver Fang has got to be stopped!"

Kia frowned, thinking hard about what they could do to stop Silver fang. Then she suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, there's no point in us all trying to stop him alone...What if we all teamed up, and came up with a plan together?"

A small smile started to form across Warner's snout. "That _would_ be better then all of us trying to stop him alone." he agreed.

Kenai smiled. "Great! together, I am sure the three of us can come up with a good plan!"

Kia shook her head. "The four of us. Don't forget about Aika. She's part of our team."

Kenai glanced around. "Hey, where is Aika anyway?" he asked.

The girl was no longer by the group of pine trees, they soon learned.

"Aika...Is she a girl with long brownish black hair?" Warner suddenly asked.

Kenai and Kia nodded. "Yeah, that's her. Why?"

"Wait here." Warner said over his shoulder as he walked off into the bushes, completely ignoring their question.

A couple of minutes later, the wolf returned, dragging Aika by the hood her coat.

"Let me go!" Aika yelled, kicking and punching in the air.

"Here she is." Warner said, letting go of Aika's coat.

Kenai and Kia exchanged amused glances and laughed..


	13. Silver Fang's Past

Okay, before I update, I just wanted to give a huge thanks to Nausicaa of the Spirits for giving this story such a nice review! I wasn't sure anybody was reading this anymore, but now that I know someone is, I'll keep updating whenever I get a review! Now, onto the next chapter!

**Chapter 13: Silver Fang's Past**

The group fell silent. "What are we going to do?" Kia asked, breaking the silence.

Warner shrugged. "I'm not sure..but it's already dark...we need a plan soon...The pack is supposed to attack the village at dawn."

Kenai sighed. "It's too bad we don't know exactly why your leader hates humans...We might have an easier time coming up with a plan." he said.

Warner looked at Kenai. "You think that would help? Well then...I'll go and try to find out. Wait here.."

"Be careful..." Kia said softly, as the grey-silver wolf left.

"What do we do now, Kenai?" Aika asked. "You heard Warner, Aika. We wait here." Was Kenai's reply.

Aika sat down on a large, flat rock and cupped her chin in her hands. "Booooooooring!" she muttered, glancing up at the night time sky.

Kenai and Kia exchanged glances and laughed at the girl.

Meanwhile, Warner had finally located the pack. He walked up to them, panting.

"Hey, have any of you seen Silver Fang?" he asked. "I have important news for him."

A brown wolf with white spots around her eyes approached him. "He's right over there." she replied, pointing her head in a direction.

"Thanks." Warner said, walking off toward the wolf pack leader.

Silver Fang's ears pricked up, sensing the grey-silver wolf's presence. "Where have you been?" he asked.

Warner gulped. "Uh..I've been...I-I mean...I was erm..observing the villagers! Just...to see what we are up against."

"Hm? Do tell." Silver Fang looked at Warner expectantly.

"Uhh...Well...They look tough. No, really tough, and very alert. Like they're ready for anything. So I was thinking, maybe we should find a weaker village to attack." Warner said.

Silver Fang shook his head. "No! This is the village to attack, for causing me so much pain!"

Warner's ears perked up as he eyed the larger grey wolf curiously. "What? How did this village hurt you?" he asked.

The wolf pack leader heaved a sigh. "When I was young, the people of this very village adopted me, because I had lost my parents."

"What happened to them?" Warner asked.

After a long pause, the grey wolf spoke. "...They were killed."

Warner stared wordlessly at him as the wolf leader continued his story.

"I loved those humans, and they loved me...Until one day..." Silver fang closed his eyes as he relived that day.

"I was defending myself from a gang of bad children, who were beating me. I bit one boy's hand...ripped it open and it bled like crazy. Then his friends got the hunter who was my owner..He chased me away, and threw stones at me to keep me away."

_'I knew that Silver Fang hated humans, but I never thought that would be why!'_ Warner thought sadly, as he listened to the wolf pack leader's story.

"I learned something that day: Humans may be capable of showing an animal love, but they can also be very fickle. Never trust a human, Warner. Not unless you want to go through what I did."

Silver Fang turned then, and looked Warner right in the eye. "Never put your trust in humans, Warner, no matter how kind they seem."

Warner nodded, his eye twitching slightly. "O-okay, I promise." He lied. "I'm gonna go and spy on the humans more..."

"Good." Silver Fang said. "Now, don't go off too far, it will be time to attack before you know it!"

Warner nodded, and ran off.

_'Are humans really like that?'_ He wondered as he ran. _'Are Kenai and Kia like that!'_

After a bit of thought, he shook his head. "No, they're nothing like that human in Silver Fang's story." He said to himself. "They are my friends. I can trust them!"

Kenai leaned contentedly against a tree, his head resting on his arms, as he gazed up at the night sky.

He, Kia and Aika had been waiting for Warner for a long time, he thought.

Kenai smiled to himself as the Great Spirits streaked past in a brilliant display of bright lights.

Then his gaze shifted to Kia, who was seated on a large flat rock, with a sleeping Aika.

The bear-turned-girl heaved a shaky sigh, and glanced around the forest, her eyes filled with worry.

Kenai moved towards her, and placed his hand on her arm, getting her attention. "Don't worry about Warner, Kia. He's fine, I'm sure of it." he said.

Kia turned to Kenai, an upset expression on her pretty face. "But Kenai! It's been such a long time since he left! What if he's hurt? What if that Silver Fang attacked him! What if-"

Kenai raised up a hand, stopping her. "Kia, calm down! Warner has only been gone for an hour. I doubt Silver Fang attacked him. Warner knows what he's doing, don't you worry."

"I know, Kenai!" Kia cried, and pulled him into a hug. "I just can't help but fear that something has happened! I sure wish Warner would return soon!"

Kenai nodded. "So do I..." he said. The two leaned in and gave each other a long kiss.

At that exact moment, the grey-silver wolf burst through the bushes. "Kenai! Kia! We've got a problem!"

He stopped as he saw the scene before him. "Woah!" He exclaimed, eyeing Kia and Kenai, who were still kissing.

Kenai and Kia quickly broke apart, and stopped hugging. "Warner!"

"Am...am I interrupting something?" Warner asked teasingly.

Kenai and Kia blushed, unable to look each other in the eye. "No!" they chorused.

Warner smirked. "Yeah right, I saw you two."

Kenai and Kia exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Now, wake Aika, I have news for you." He added, changing the subject.

Kia walked over to the rock where Aika slept, and gently shook her until she woke up. Kenai looked at Warner.

"Okay...she's awake. Now..Did you find out why your leader hates humans so much?" he asked.

Warner nodded. "Yes, I did...and it's much worse then we thought.."


	14. Betrayed

Okay, here we are. The chapter before the last one. So sad, we're almost finished with this story...Oh well XD I want to give a special thanks to teenchic2004 and Nausicaa of the Spirits, for reviewing this! Thanks guys! Hope you like this next chapter! This one gets pretty intense!

**Chapter 14: Betrayed**

When Warner had finished telling everyone what he had learned about Silver Fang, Kenai let out a low whistle.

"Wow! I had no idea it was _that_ bad!" he exclaimed.

Warner sighed. "Neither did I, Kenai." he admitted. He lowered his gaze to the ground. "I feel really bad now, going behind Silver Fang's back, but I have to...because...because.."

"Because it's the right thing to do?" Kia asked. Warner nodded, but gave no reply.

"So, what are we going to do?" Kenai asked. "We have to stop your leader, regardless of what he's been through."

Warner heaved a sigh as he turned to face the boy. "There's only one thing I can think of that might work. I will go to the village with the pack at dawn, as planned. Then, before anyone can attack, I'll get in the way, and tell Silver Fang that I am no longer on his side." He paused.

"Hopefully, I can convince the pack to do the same, because without his pack, a leader -or any other wolf- is practically defenseless. Especially against humans."

"I sure hope that'll work, Warner...For your sake." Kia said nervously.

Warner gave a slight nod. Then he glanced over at Aika.

The girl had fallen back asleep, which meant that she probably hadn't heard a lot of what he'd been saying about Silver Fang.

"You'd best get to your village and rest up. You'll stand a better chance in battle tomorrow if you're fully rested." Warner chuckled. "Aika already is!" The grey-silver wolf motioned to the young girl, who lay fast asleep on the flat rock.

Kenai nodded, laughing. He picked up the girl and turned to Kia.

"Warner is right. Let's go back to the village and get some sleep. Okay?"

Kia held back a yawn. "Okay." she agreed.

They said their good byes to Warner then headed back to the village.

When they arrived back, Tanana approached them. "How did it go with Warner?" she inquired.

Kia grinned. "Great! We found him, and guess what? Warner's on our side! He's going to help us stop Silver Fang -that's the name of the pack's leader, who's evil- because he doesn't believe killing the humans is right."

Tanana looked at Kenai. "Then, shall I tell the villagers to stop preparing for battle?" Kenai shook his head. "No, they still need to be ready, just in case our plan backfires."

Tanana nodded her head. "Very well, I will go and tell everyone what you have just said. Now then, are you two going to bed?"

Kia nodded. "Yes, we are very tired." she said, holding back another yawn.

Tanana chuckled. "Understandable. Good night, Kenai. Good night, Nakia. Pleasant dreams to you both."

"Good night Tanana." Kenai and Kia chorused sleepily, as they headed over to two huts.

Kenai pointed to the one on the left. "You and Aika can sleep in there, Kia." He said, heading into the hut on the right.

Kia gave Kenai a quick hug and kiss good night. Then she went into the hut, carrying a half awake Aika in her arms.

Kia put the girl into on of the two beds, and covered her up with some soft, warm fur blankets. Once Aika had fallen back asleep, Kia crawled into the other bed.

Warm and snug under the furry blankets, Kia instantly fell into a deep sleep, her dreams filled with wolves, villagers and bears.

Dawn was approaching, fast, as Silver Fang and his pack made their way to the village.

Warner darted a nervous glance back at the pack, then up at Silver Fang. _'I sure hope my plan works!'_ he thought silently.

Silver Fang glanced back at the grey-silver wolf. "Something troubles you, Warner?" he asked as he noticed the worried expression on the smaller wolf's face.

Warner quickly shook his head. "N..no! Of course not! Hehe.."

"Wake up!" Came a small voice. "It's almost dawn!"

Kia sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Oh alright.." She glanced down and saw Aika staring up at her.

"I got up before you did!" The little girl exclaimed, giggling loudly.

Kia rolled her eyes good naturedly as she got up out of bed.

"Good, you're up!" Said a voice behind her.

Kia jumped back, startled --right into Kenai!

He spun her around and gave a her a big hug. Kia returned the hug, then pulled away a bit.

"Well, now that we're all awake, let's go wake the villagers, and get ready for battle."

Kenai shook his head. "My brother and Tanana already did that while we were sleeping." he said with a small laugh.

He pulled Kia back to him for another hug.

"Oh, they did? I didn't know that!" Kia exclaimed with a giggle.

Kenai smiled at Kia, as he stroked his hand through her hair. "Yes, they did."

He paused for a moment. "Hey Kia..did you realize..? Today is our last day as humans.."

Kia nodded her head happily in reply. "Yeah! Soon we'll be bears again, and we can go back to the Salmon Run and see Koda aga-"

She was cut off as Kenai pressed his mouth against hers in a quick kiss.

When he broke away, Kia looked at him, a bit startled. "What was that for?" she asked in a small, surprised voice.

Kenai's face turned a light shade of red. "Um..I just wanted to kiss you one last time, before we become bears again.." he said, still blushing.

Kia felt flattered by his words. The bear-turned-girl leaned close to Kenai, and kissed him. They stayed that way for a few minutes, then broke away.

The bears-turned-humans remained locked in their hug, gazing lovingly into one another's eyes, then kissing each other again.

All of a sudden, they heard a cry. "Ewwwwwww! Gross!"

Kenai and Kia quickly pulled apart and glanced around the room.

On the bed was Aika. She was cringing, and she had her eyes covered with her hands. "Stop, please! Stop!" she cried.

Kenai and Kia blushed awkwardly. They had forgotten that Aika was here with them! Kia quickly walked over to the opening in the hut.

"Umm..Let's go join the villagers!" she said, trying to change the subject.

It worked. Kenai and Aika quickly followed her, and not one of them said anything more about what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Silver Fang and his pack had finally reached the village. Now they stood, staring angrily at the villagers, who were lined up and ready for battle.

Silver Fang growled angrily and turned to his pack. "Which one of you gave away our position! Those humans should still be asleep, yet they look ready for war!"

All the wolves (except Warner) shook their heads. "Not me!" they chorused.

A grey and dark grey wolf turned to Warner. "Was it you, Warner?" he asked.

Warner was about to protest when Silver Fang spoke again.

"Bah! Never mind about that now! We can still take these humans!" He turned to the grey and silver wolf. "Warner, I believe you are one of our strongest fighters...So I want you to lead the attack. Now!"

Warner said nothing, he just remained silent, staring at the ground.

"Go, now!" Silver Fang repeated impatiently.

Warner looked up then, and his gaze met the larger grey wolf's. "No." he said quietly after a moment.

Silver Fang looked at him. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Warner said, growing bold, "No!"

Silver Fang looked stunned for a moment. "What do you mean, 'no'!" he snarled.

Warner took a small step backward. "Killing those humans is wrong. What happened to you before was a big misunderstanding, yet you use that to judge all humans wrongly! They shouldn't die, just because of your misconception!"

Without another word, Warner turned and ran over to Kenai, Kia and Aika, who stood with all the villagers.

One hunter started to attack him, but Aika jumped in his way.

"No! This wolf is our friend!" she protested.

The hunter stumbled away, confused. Silver Fang shot Warner an icey glare.

"You befriended the humans..? After all I told you about them! You idiot!" he bellowed.

Warner shook his head. "No, you're the idiot, to believe all humans are the same! Kenai, Kia and Aika -he pointed to each of them as he said their names- are the kindest humans I've ever met! I refuse to kill these villagers, who have done absolutely nothing to deserve this!"

"Hey...he's right!" exclaimed the brown wolf with white around her eyes.

"Sorry, Silver Fang, but I'm siding with Warner on this one!" She raced over by Warner and the villagers.

Silver Fang stared in shock as his pack slowly abandoned him, one by one. Then he snarled at Warner.

"I should have realized that you would be trouble, when I agreed to let you in my pack!" he growled. "I thought we were...friends, Warner..I thought you understood my motives, once I had explained to you..but I guess I was wrong."

He paused. "So now, it is with a heavy heart that I say 'farewell' Warner."

The larger grey wolf lunged for Warner. The grey-silver wolf quickly jumped out of his way, and Silver Fang missed.

Unfortunately, Aika happened to be in his path, and instead of Warner, Silver Fang caught the little girl!

They went tumbling, wrestling fiercely, until they suddenly rolled right off the edge of a cliff!

Kia, Kenai and Warner raced over to the cliff where Aika and Silver Fang had fallen, and looked down worriedly. "Aika!"


	15. Bears Again

Thank you, teenchic2004 and Nausicaa of the Spirits, for reviewing this! Oh, and thank you, Nausicaa of the Spirits, for the comment on the trailers for my story "My Adventures With Kenai & Koda". Now I can post up this one last chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Bears Again**

Silver Fang quickly got to his paws and looked around. He and Aika were on a ledge that stuck out from the cliff. He snarled in frustration, remembering that he had captured Aika instead of Warner.

His ears suddenly pricked upward, as he heard the grey-silver wolf's voice, along with others. "Aika! Aika are you alright! Please, speak to me! Say something...anything!"

A smirk spread across Silver Fang's snout. _'So, Warner cares about this girl..' _he thought, '_Then killing her will be the perfect revenge for his betrayal!'_

The grey wolf stalked toward Aika, who lay not too far away. As he came closer, Silver fang opened his mouth, revealing sharp, white canine teeth.

Just then, the girl's eyes snapped open, and she spotted him. Aika backed up until she up against the rocky wall of the cliff. There was no way out now..

Silver fang smirked, pleased at the sight of Aika backed into a corner. It would make her easier to kill.

As he drew closer, Aika reached into her coat pocket and withdrew a small knife. She had always kept it with her for protection, and now it really looked like she would need it!

"Ha!" Aika lunged at Silver Fang, knife ready. Startled, the large grey wolf staggered backward --only to discover he was now at the edge of the cliff. Now he was cornered...

Silver Fang yelped, as his back paws slipped, and held tightly onto the ledge with his fore paws, as he dangled over the edge of the cliff helplessly.

Aika smirked triumphantly as she saw his forepaws sliding down the edge, losing their grip.

"Looks like I win! You're going to fall! Ha!" she said.

Silver Fang snarled viciously at the child. "I'm not going alone!" he insisted.

Aika screamed as he grabbed onto her coat just as he fell, taking her with him. They seemed to be falling to their death below, but suddenly, Aika and Silver Fang landed on another, smaller ledge.

Aika was hit hard, and knocked unconscious. Silver fang quickly got up and prepared to kill the little girl.

Before he could get to the girl, he heard a loud crack. The wolf's eyes widened in surprise as the ground he was standing on gave way, and he was sent falling again.

He thought he might fall forever, but at last, Silver Fang crashed down into a tree, hitting every branch on the way down.

He landed on the ground with a hard thud, and slowly got up, brushing himself off. The wolf glared angrily up at the ledge where Aika lay, above. Silver Fang started away at a quick paced trot.

"I'll get those humans --and that traitor wolf-- some other day.." he growled under his breath as he retreated.

Kia glanced down from the top of the cliff worriedly. "Aika! Aika, please...Answer us! Are you okay!"

Still there was no answer from the little girl. Kenai watched too, feeling hopeless. What could they do? He glanced up as Kia turned and walked away.

"Kia, what are you doing!" he cried bewildered, as the bear-turned-woman tied a rope around her waist, then handed him the other end.

"I'm going to rescue Aika." she said. "She was right when she told us nobody cares about her. Look. Aside from us, the only ones upset are your brother and Tanana!"

She heaved a deep sigh as she saw Kenai open his mouth to protest. "I have to do this. It may be the only way to save Aika." she said.

Kenai sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Okay...You're right...Just..be careful."

Kia hugged Kenai quickly. "I'll be just fine! Don't worry! Besides, you and Warner will be holding my rope for me...I'll be alright." Kenai reluctantly freed the girl from his arms.

Against her protests, Kenai untied the knot Kia had made around her waist and retied it himself.

"There, now you're safe!" he said, a satisfied smile on his face.

Kia rolled her eyes. "I already _was_ safe." she said.

"Oh...Well...you'll be even safer, now that I fixed your rope for you!" Kenai said proudly.

Kia held back a laugh. Kenai cared so much for her that he would go to the trouble of retying her rope, even if it had already been knotted!

Warner picked up the rope with his mouth. "Are you ready, Kia?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be." Kia said nervously as she glanced down below. "L...Let's do this!" she said, finally.

Kenai stepped back, and he and Warner slowly began to lower Kia down the side of the cliff.

It was a long, and difficult progress, but after awhile, Kia finally stepped down onto the ledge where Aika had been earlier.

As she looked around, Kia realized to her dismay, that Aika was not here anymore. Had she rolled right off the ledge?

"Kia! Is Aika alright?" Kenai called down.

Kia glanced up worriedly. "She's not here!" she replied. "I'm gonna see if she fell further down!"

Getting on her hands and knees, Kia crawled over to the edge of the ledge, and peered down. After a few minutes, her gaze locked on a form, sprawled out below on a ledge. Her eyes widened slightly. Aika!

Kia raised her head to the sky and called out loudly. "Kenai! I think I see Aika below! Send down more rope so I can check!"

In response to her request, the rope slackened. Being careful not to fall, Kia started to climb down to the smaller ledge where she had seen the small form.

After yet, another long, grueling climb down, she finally made it to the ledge.

Kia hurried to Aika and began to shake her gently. "Aika...Aika wake up! We've gotta get you out of here!"

The young girl did not awake. She just lay there, still out.

"Kia what's going on down there?" Kenai called down. "Did you find Aika?"

"Yeah but she's out cold!" Kia replied.

"Grab onto her then, and we'll pull you both up!"

"Okay!" Kia held on tig htly to Aika, as Kenai and Warner began to pull them up to safety.

"Just...pull...a little..harder!" Kenai said in a strained voice.

"I'm trying! They're...too heavy!" Warner cried out, in just as equally a strained voice.

His gaze shot back as a paw tapped his shoulder. "What..ar e you guys doing here?" he asked, struggling to keep hold of the rope as he spoke.

All the wolves from Silver Fang's pack had approached him. Now the brown and white one spoke up.

"We came to help, Warner." she said. "Remember, we're on your side now." As she spoke, the other wolves grabbed onto the rope, and started to pull. Then she joined in as well.

It was then that Warner noticed that Denahi had also joined in helping them pull Kia and Aika to safety.

"Thanks Denahi." Kenai said, smiling at his brother.

Denahi glanced at Kenai. "Don't worry about it, little brother. You know I've always got your back! Now, let's get your girlfriend and her little pal up to safety."

Kenai blushed awkwardly. "My...girlfriend..?"

Denahi laughed. "Oh, ocome on! Quit trying' to hide it, Kenai! I can tell you two are in love!"

Kenai started to answer, but stopped as Kia called up to them.

"Ok, grab Aika first...then I'll come up."

"I'll get her, boys. Don't worry about it." Tanana said, walking over to the edge of the cliff and taking Aika from Kia's outstretched arms. "You boys just focus and helping Nakia."

Kia sighed with relief, seeing Tanana take Aika.

Then she began to climb to the top of the cliff. It was a little easier, now that she w asn't holding a child in her arms!

She glanced down at the rope that was tied around her waist, and her eyes widened. The rope had grown weak from supporting both her and Aika, and was now beginning to rip! She cried out as the rope came closer and closer to breaking.

Kenai, hearing her cry let go of the rope and hurried to the edge of the cliff.

All of a sudden, the last string holding the rope together snapped, and Kia fell screaming.

"KIA!" Kenai reached his arm down, and caught Kia's hand just in time, stopping her from falling.

Kia looked up. "Kenai?" she said in disbelief.

She had not thought she'd ever see him again! Kenai smiled reassuringly at the girl. "Don't worry, Kia. I've got you! You're going to be alright! Just hang tight!"

Kia did as she was told, and Kenai pulled her up to safety, and le d her away from the cliff.

"That was a close one!" Warner cried.

Kenai nodded his head. "I know..."

Kia ran towards the boy happily. "Kenai!"

Kenai stretched out his arms and caught the girl. He lifted her up into the air and spun her around. Then he let her down, and the two of them embraced.

"Kenai, I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!" Kia said, hugging Kenai warmly. "Thanks for saving me.."

Kenai hugged her just as tight. "You really scared me, Kia. Promise me you'll never do anything to get yourself into that kind of danger again!"

Kia was only too happy to agree. "I promise." she said softly, before kissing his cheek.

Warner walked over to them, head lowered. "I'm sorry to interrupt this tender moment...But I have bad news...It's about Aika.."

Kia quickly pulled away from Kenai and stared at the wolf. "What about her! Is she hurt!" she cried worriedly.

Warner sighed. "Come and see for yourself.." he said.

He led them over to a soft patch of grass, where Aika lay sprawled out.

Kia's eyes filled with concern, and she ran to the little girl's side.

She listened to the girl's heart, and found to her dismay that it was no longer beating. Aika wasn't breathing either.

"..No..." Kia whispered softly, as tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to cry.

Kenai, i mmediately sensing that something was wrong, hurried to Kia's side.

"What's the matter Kia?" he asked softly, looking into the girl's tear filled brown eyes.

Kia fought back a sob. "She's...she's.."

"...Dead..." Kenai finished for her grimly, having been unable to find the little girl's pulse.

Kia could no longer hold back her sobs, and she buried her face in Kenai's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "She was so young!" she choked. "She had so much to offer in life!"

Kenai comforted Kia the best he could, though he too was fighting back the urge to cry. Suddenly, the sky lit up, and the great Spirits appeared.

Sitka came towards the two grieving humans. "Well done, Kenai and Kia. You succeeded in stopping the wolf pack's attack."

Warner watched curiously, as the two humans talked with the Spirit. He wondered what was going on.

"As I promised," Sitka said, "I will change you two back to normal now."

"Oh yes!" Kia said quickly, then she paused. "...But...Can you help our friend Aika, too? She was...killed...by the wolf pack leader."

The girl's voice trembled with emotion as she spoke. "If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have been able to stop him."

Sitka nodded. "Alright...I will do something to help your friend too. However, I must first keep my promise to you and Kenai."

As Sitka spoke, Spirits surrounded both Kenai and Kia, and lifted them a few feet off the ground.

As they were spun, Kenai and Kia began to change. In place of their fleshy skin came thick fur. They were becoming bears again!

Warner watched with the wolf pack, bewildered, as the two humans were transformed into bears.

Kenai and Kia were placed back onto the ground. "The transformation in complete. You two are back to normal." Sitka said.

Kia and Kenai looked happily at their furry paws, unable to believe that they were bears again! They folded their paws around each other in a big, warm, furry bear hug.

"Now, about your friend Aika.." Sitka said, once the two had pulled apart. "Are you two going to be responsible for her..? Or the villagers?"

"We are going to care for her, Sitka." Kia said. "Her own Mother doesn't treat her right, so I doubt she'll be missing her." she added quickly, and Kenai nodded his head. "It's all true, big brother."

Sitka smiled, though his smile faded after hearing about Aika's mother's lack of love for her. "Very well then...I will go help her."

Sitka reverted to his eagle form and lifted the lifeless body of Aika up, into the sky and spun her around.

As she spun, Aika began to change. Gradually, she was transformed into a grizzly bear cub.

Once the process was complete, Sitka lowered Aika onto the ground a few feet away from Kenai and Kia.

"Her energy and life have been restored completely. I hope you will keep her safe from anymore harm. Thank you again for your help. Good bye now."

Sitka flew up with the Spirits, and they left in a streak of rainbow colored lights.

Kenai glanced over at Aika the bear cub. "Hey..She got what she wanted.. She said that she wanted to come live with us."

Kia nodded. "Yep. It's just too bad she had to die to have her wish granted." she said, as she walked over to the bear cub.

"Aika...? Aika, dear, wake up." she said softly, nudging the cub's shoulder gently.

Aika's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at the white bear. "Kia..? Is..Is that you?" she asked.

Kia nodded. "Yeah..it's me."

"Wow, you look really different!" Aika exclaimed.

Kia chuckled. "So do you!"

As Kia spoke, Aika realized that something was different. How could she understand the grizzly bear!

Aika glanced down...She saw that she had furry brown spotted paws, and snow white fur, and let out a happy squeal.

"I'm a bear!" she cried happily, and jumped into Kia's arms in a playful tackle.

Kia hugged Aika tightly. "You're alright!" she cried, relieved. Aika squirmed, laughing.

"Hey, you're crushing me.." she paused and stopped squirming.

"...Does this mean...That I get to go with you and Kenai to the Salmon Run?" she asked excitedly.

Kia nodded, laughing. "Yeah! I doubt you'd really fit in the village now that you're a bear!"

Both the sow and the cub laughed. As they sat there, laughing, Tanana and Denahi approached them.

"Nakia...Before you go, I want to say thank you. I know this mission was more of a struggle for you then it was for Kenai, because he's been human before. So I want you to have this, as a reminder of all you've overcome."

Around Kia's neck, Tanana hung a small rock that was carved in the shape of a bear. It very much resembled Kenai's.

"Wow...thank you.." Kia began, but Tanana wasn't finished.

"I asked the Spirits what your totem was, and they said it was the same as Kenai's. Your totem could only be love...You've shown such a caring side during your stay, and so much love for Aika, even though you barely just met...You are already living by your totem, the bear of love. Wear it proudly, Nakia!"

A smile spread across Kia's muzzle. "I will...Thank you..."

Tanana could only hear soft growls from the sow, but she understood what she was trying to say.

"You are most certainly welcome, Nakia." she said.

Denahi approached her then. "So...This is the real you, huh Kia?" he asked, gazing into the grizzly's warm, brown eyes.

The white-brown marked bear nodded, and gave a soft, friendly growl in reply.

"Well then, I'm afraid I can't ask you out, now that you're a bear...So I guess...I guess you'll just have to stick to dating my brother." Denahi said jokingly.

Kia roared with laughter. Then Denahi and Tanana left her alone, so she and Aika walked over to Warner.

He and the wolf pack were staring at Kia in disbelief. "What just happened? Why are you and Kenai bears now!" he asked.

As quickly as she could, Kia explained about everything, from the Spirit's message, to how she and Kenai were changed into humans, in order to complete their quest.

"Us being humans was only a temporary thing." she finished.

"Ohh.." Warner said slowly. "I understand now. So, where will you go now?"

"The Salmon Run!" Aika chimed in.

Kia laughed at the cub's enthusiasm. "It's a big river filled with tons of salmon." she told Warner. "Kenai and I live there with his brother, Koda."

"Will I still see you around?" Warner inquired.

Kia nodded. "You can count on it! I bet we'll meet up on our way to the cave where we stay when we're not at the Salmon Run!" she said.

Warner smiled. "Okay...See ya' then." he said, giving a little wave of his paw.

"See you soon!" The wolf pack chorused.

Kenai approached Kia and Aika. "You ready to go home?" he asked.

Kia couldn't agree fast enough. Kenai, Kia and Aika waved one last time at the smiling faces of Tanana, Denahi, Warner and the rest of the wolf pack. Then they set out on the journey home.

A few days later, they arrived at the Salmon Run. "I wonder where Koda is?" Kia said.

No sooner had she spoken, then a brown blur tackled Kenai, knocking him to the ground. It was Koda!

"Yippee!" he cheered. "You and Kia are back! I missed you guys so much! Oh, there is so much I gotta tell you two! I-"

The cub glanced up then, and saw Aika on top of Kia's back. "Who's she?" he asked.

Kia smiled. "This is Aika. She's a friend we brought back from-" she paused and shook her head, laughing. "I'll explain later.." she said.

"Aika, huh...? Hmm..." Koda reached out a paw and tagged Aika's shoulder.

"Tag, Aika! You're It! Just try to catch the Salmonator! I dare ya'!" he challenged.

Aika looked shyly at Koda, unsure of whether to accept his challenge. After she thought it over, Aika jumped off of Kia's back, and she and Koda raced off into the water, laughing and playing.

Kenai and Kia sat down beneath a tree, tired from their long journey.

"You know, Kia.." Kenai began, turning his head to look at the sow, "You really surprised me during these past few days. You got used to being changed into a human better then I got used to becoming a bear at first!"

The two grizzly bears laughed. Then Kia looked at Kenai, a warm smile on her face.

"Well...that may be true...but I never could have got through it all without your help." She wrapped her paws around Kenai in a bear hug, and he blushed. "Thank you Kenai..Thanks for everything.."

Kenai hugged her back. "Don't mention it! it's like I told you before, in that cave. I'd do anything for you. There's nothing too big for me when it concerns you.."

The two bears fell silent as they gazed lovingly into one another's eyes.

"You know what else?" Kia asked after a moment, breaking the silence.

Kenai shook his head. "What?"

"I don't think we were changed into humans just to save your village."

"Well, what's the other reason?" Kenai asked.

Kia pointed a paw over at the two cubs, who were still playing tag in the river.

"Aika.." Kia said, "She needed a friend, and more importantly, someone to care for, and love her. I truly believe that we were sent not only to help the villagers, but Aika too. Kinda like a side mission, but still just as important. Only, we had to discover that mission for ourselves."

Kenai smiled and put his arm around the white-brown sow's shoulders. "You know what? I think you're right.."

All of a sudden, Koda called out to them. "Hey Kenai, Kia! Let's go fishing!"

The cub motioned for them to come with a paw.

Kia giggled and looked at Kenai, a smile on her face. "C'mon, Kenai!" she said, getting to her paws.

She ran as fast as she could, Kenai right beside her.

Then the two bears plunged into the river, head first, making a huge splash. It felt great to be a bear again!


End file.
